Don't Look Back
by KaleidoscopeColours2101
Summary: She never had the chance to say sorry. She didn't get to say goodbye, or that she took her words back. Instead, Paisley was forced to keep moving forwards and to pretend like nothing happened. She didn't look back. Much.
1. Don't Look Back

Paisley POV

Hi. I'm Paisley. Paisley Brown. And might I just say, New York is so much different from home. Home for me is New Zealand. I just recently (Two days ago) moved here, and changed my name. Everything is different. From the buildings, to the way people talk. Here I am the alien, and these are the humans.

Walking into a new school was really easy. I'd done it alot. I never moved house though, so you can tell that I am freaking out. The first move, and its overseas, away from family, to a dirty place where I am a stranger. I know no one! Not a single soul.

"Want me to walk you in?" Mum asks. She has short, straight blonde hair and brown eyes. Not like me. I have long beach wavy dark brown hair that reaches my ribs and brownish green eyes. I think theres also flecks of blue. I dunno.

"No thanks. I can do it." I say, even though something inside of me is screaming 'No you can't!'. I unbuckle my seatbelt and scoop up my bag. "Checklist."

"Glasses."

"Check."

"Notebook."

"Check."

"Phone."

"Check."

"Book."

"Check." and so on. We did this every time one of the many of us were going somewhere, whether it be school, or to a sleepover.

"Togs, cap and goggles." Mum thinks, "And towel."

I tap my small duffel bag. "And gym clothes." I open my door, almost falling out of the car, causing my Mum to chuckle.

"Love you, Mum." I say.

"Ok. Well, I love you too." Mum says, winding down the window. I shut the door. "Hopefully I can A. Unpack my room and B. find my way back home. wish me luck."

"Bye!" I shout as Mum pulls away from the curb, even though she can't hear me over the sound of kids talking. Jeez. You all saw each other yesterday. Whats the fuss? I've never really had any friends. Only Oliver and Angela. But they moved away, and didn't tell me where they were going.

Inside was worse. People were fighting, shouting, talking, perfecting their hair, and don't even get me started on the couples. So to say, the corridor was very crowded. I was getting battered and shoved. Was it so hard to find the office?

After shoving my way around a bit, I finally find the office. Now, you might be thinking "Oh, its the end of summer! There'll be other new kids too!" You are wrong. Dead wrong. Its the end of spring, and I'm the only one with an accent.

At the reception, a warm eyed woman greets me at the desk. "Paisley Oceania?" She asks. I nod.

"Paisley Oceania Brown, at your service." I say, playfully curtsying. She stifles a laugh.

"Ok, heres all you need." She says, sliding a locker key, a few sheets of paper, and a brown (hehe) package across the table.

"Thanks."

"Just fill out the forms, and Nico there," she point to a guy decked top to toe in black sitting in a chair in the corner, "Can show you where everything is. I've just gotta print out your schedule."

She disappears into another room. I walk over to this Nico dude. He has dark brown eyes and black, straight hair. His pale skin contrasts all the black. "So." I say, rocking back and forth on my feet awkwardly, "I'm Paisley. I just moved the other day from New Zea-"

"I know." He says rudely. I lean back a bit.

"How?" I smirk. Before you ask, no I am NOT one of THOSE girls. I despise make up, pink, sparkles, dresses, skirts and anything else associated with the term 'Girly Girl'. I grew up with six brothers and only one sister. Where they are right now is another topic completely.

"Just 'cuz!" He protests, leaning back into his chair, red with anger.

"Just because..." I say, crossing my arms and leaning back on my foot. The smirk never left my face.

"Yes." He grumbled. I raised my eyebrows and head back to the desk. The lady comes back and hands me the sheet of paper with my schedule. Must laminate it! And copy it down somewhere...

"Lets go!" I say, grasping Nico's arm, tugging him up. His pale face had annoyed written all over it. My bad. Oopsies.

"Let. Go." He says, yanking his arm away. He rips the schedule from my grasp, tearing a long "ohhhhurgggghhhh!" From my mouth.

"You're in pretty much all the same classes as me." he says, much more polite than before. Bipolar much? "Your lockers, like, two down from mine."

He leads me to my locker. I stick the key in and twist it, unlocking the door. I swing my backpack over and empty out what I need to. Pencil case and my notebook and my novel stays, along with my phone and wallet. Earphones must stay too.

I look over at Nico, whose staring at me curiously. "Do I have something on my face?" I ask. he shakes his head, and focuses his eyes on the ground.

"No. Its nothing." he mumbles.

"Mumblers aren't heard." I say to him, going back to my locker. After I'm satisfied with whats coming with me in my backpack, and d whats not, I slam the locker shut and walk few steps to Nico. "I'm ready." I say, gripping the backpack straps like a little girl on an adventure.

Nico leads me to a classroom with a red door. My flat has a red door too! Sorry, off topic!

I sit at the back, next to Nico. At the front you have your stereotypical nerds. then the Jocks and cheerleaders, then theres the last row, seemingly reserve for Nico. Whispers rise around the classroom. I take out my glasses and put them on. Nico looks at me again.

"Glasses?" He asks, raising his eyebrows. They were reading glasses. I wasn't too far away from needing them 24/7. They had a wide, thick, square frame. In other words, geek glasses. My sister said I looked cute in them. Without my glasses, reading is hell. I have dyslexia and I also need glasses. Imagine that. And ADHD too.

"Yeah." I say, taking out my book. I was reading 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green. I've read it alot of times. Never gets any less sad.

"They're cute." he says, turning back to his notebook, fire engine red. I felt the heat go up to my cheeks. He called me cute. "Sorry for being mean back at the office. I was just tired."

"I know the feeling." I say, turning the page.

A few minutes later, a screeching bell rings, and the remainder of the class tumbles in the door. A second later, a teacher with blonde hair pulled up into a bun, and grass green eyes walks in. She was wearing a navy blue pencil skirt and a white blouse.

"Morning." She says, sitting at her desk. "We have an international student joining us today. Paisley, where are you?" She says, looking around the room. She sees me in the far corner and beckons me forwards.

I stand up, my chair screeching against the ground. I slide off the glasses and walk over to the front, my combat boots clunking against the floor. I turn to the class. "Tell us about yourself." The teacher says. The pin on her shirt says Mrs. Laura McKingsley. Mrs McKingsley then.

"Uh, Hi!' I say, taking my hand from my back pocket and waving it nervously. "I'm Paisley. I come from New Zealand. I live with my Mum. I've never met my dad. I have the worlds weirdest allergies. I am a swimmer, runner, athlete, tennis player, dancer, and a whole bunch of other things. Summing it up. I love sports. I hold the NZ record for the fastest swimmer of my age. I am seconds from qualifying for the common wealth games." I say. A low whistle is heard from one of the jocks.

"Cute, and sporty!" He says.

"And not interested." I say, going back to my seat.

"Burned!" Another jock says to him. He rolls his eyes. Nico's eyes have never left me, even as I sit down and put my glasses in my case.

"Aren't you jettlagged?" Asks Mrs. McKingsley.

"Extremely." I say, yawning to prove my point. "It was a miracle I attempted getting up this morning. Yesterday I slept practically the whole day, proving my theory that I cannot sleep on planes, but when we land, and I find a place to sit for long enough, I will." That earned a few laughs from the class. I grin.

Next,I had English. I walk into the room with Nico and another class of eyes follow me to the back row.

"Why is everyone staring?" I whisper to Nico. He shrugs in response.

"Alright class! Get your books out. Keep reading. If you finish the chapters early, please come see me. Paisley Brown, please come and see me now." I shuffle out of my desk. Mr. Blowfis, the plaq says on his desk.

"Hi." I say.

"You're Paisley?" He asks, smiling at me. I nod with an 'Mhhmmm'. "Ok, so from what little information I have, you're ADHD, Dyslexic and you have glasses. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir." I say.

"Ok. Well, we're reading The Fault In Our Stars. " He says, "You're gonna have to get your own copy, if thats OK."

"I've got it here with me. I've re-read it thousands of times." I say. That made my day. My favourite book, and we're studying it.

"Thats great! You can get started on the work sheets if you like." He says, handing me a few sheets of Paper. "What you don't get finished is homework."

"Ok." I say, heading back to my desk. As I walk down, between the rows of chairs, I feel the classes eyes following me. They leave as soon as I sit down.

I get out my book and pencil case. I dig around the front pocket of my bag to get my glasses. I slipp them on and d start on the worksheet. First I had to do a character study on Gus and Hazel.

Gus has Mahogany hair.

Played basketball.

Amputated leg to get rid of cancer

And so on...

I finished the worksheet in a jif, just as the bell rang. I look at the piece of paper I call my schedule, glued to the front page of my notebook. Maths.

After the excruciating pain was over, I had gym. I love gym, if you could tell.

Nico leads me there. I've swapped my school bag for the small duffel. Inside the gym, there are ropes on the side for climbing, a few ladders, and benches and bleachers.

Electric blue, thin mats were setup in the centre of the gym. We must be doing gymnastics. Suddenly, a man, just over five feet tall pops up infront of me. "You Paisley?"

"Yes?" I say suspiciously.

"Gym locker number eighteen." He says, handing me a key. I attach it to my other key. "You got gym clothes?"

"Yeah."

"Good, because your uniform hasn't come in yet. Changing rooms are over there. "He points to a big red door. "After you're changed come see me if you wanna try out for any sports clubs."

As soon as I open the door, the strong scent of perfume smacks me in the face. I sneeze loudly. Yuck! So I have THAT sort of a gym class. I open my locker and start getting changed. Dangit! My scar! I can't let anyone see! I do a trick for my singlet where I shrug off the straps and then put the shirt on, and then slide out of the singlet. Perfect. I'm now in a cream coloured sports tank top and leggings that I had cut off to be just past mid thigh.

I tie my hair up into a ponytail and then head over to see the coach.

"What clubs do you wanna join, cupcake?" He says gruffly.

"Swimming, Track, Dancing, and football." I say. He shakes his head and laughs. "What?"

"Not football."

"Why?" I demand, getting a little upset, "I swear, if I can tackle them, at least five and score a try, you let me try out for the team."

And that ladies and gentlemen, is how I got on the football team.

**A/N This is my new child of seas fic. The old title was boring, and I just didnt like it (Along with the story itself). I'll see how this goes. If you read, please comment!**


	2. Meet the Guy's

**This story is in Paisley's POV unless I say its not at the top. Just saying to clear up any future confusion. **

"Ok, We'll only use you as an extra. I dont care that you tackled the whole team. Ok? You can watch from the crowd and if I really need you, I'll shout." Coach says.

Well, its better than nothing.

"Ok, Thanks." I say, I walk to the changing rooms in silence.

After I'm changed back into my black skinny jeans, combat boots, a black sports tanktop and my electric blue jacket, I head out.

Now, where am I?

I look left, down the hall. Nothing. I look right. Nothing. I am lost. Nico didn't go to the football trial, so I don't know where he is. He's the only person I know here. Lost on my first day.

I start aimlessly wandering around the halls. Aha! The office! I walk inside, and the lady at the desk recognizes me.

"Lost, are you sweetheart?" She asks kindly.

"Yeah." I say.

"I'll just call Nico. " She presses a button on a speaker, "Nico Di Angelo, please report to the office immediately."

"Thanks." I say, after the mic is switched off.

"Just wait here a few minutes and he'll show." She says before wandering into what I assume is the staff room.

Five minutes later, he shows. He groans as soon as he sees me. I sheepishly smile.

"I got lost." I say, still smiling sheepishly.

"I can see that." He face-palms, "C'mon then. Lets go and eat lunch." He holds out his arm and wiggles his fingers.

"What are you doing?" I ask, standing next to him and looking at his fingers.

He sighs. His other arm guides me to stand underneath the one he had stretched out. His arm lay around my shoulders loosely. He starts walking with me next to him. After a few twists and turns, we come across two doors. The cafeteria.

The cafeteria is _so _cliche. Populars, nobodies, nerds, art freaks etc.

Nico's leading me towards the table of 'Nobodies' although, Nobody, can me 'Somebody' one day and we all end up working for either 'Nobodies' or 'Nerds' and - Shutting up now.

"Paisley, this is Percy, Annabeth, Piper and Jason. Guy's this is Paisley." Nico says. Piper coughs on her soup. Jason chokes on his sandwich, Annabeth looks shocked, and Percy is eating blue cookies.

"Hi. Nice to meet you" I say. Nico sits next to Jason, and I sit next to him.

"So, Paisley, where are you from?" Annabeth asks, continuing eating and hiding the shock. I guess Nico doesn't really make many friends, if I could count myself as a friend.

"New Zealand. I moved here two days ago." I say, "Jet lag sucks."

She laughs a bit. "Why'd you move? New Zealand is a cool place."

"I know! Its so much cleaner and greener than here. I asked my mum, and she just said it was for her work." I say, agreeing. New Zealand was the best place. Always fresh air. Tree's. Beaches.

"Well I hope you like it here." She says. And that was the end of our conversation.

Not finding myself hungry, I whip out my glasses and book, and continue reading.

I look up a few minutes later and find everyone else in conversation. Maybe I was being a pain. I spot a table in the corner. Maybe I could sit there tomorrow.

"Hey Guy's, do you know where I can sign up for swimming and dancing?" I ask.

"I'm the captain of the swim team, and you're gonna have to find Melissa for dancing." Percy says, "If you come along with me after school, you can meet the team and try out. It won't take long. You don't have to stay for the training."

Relief fills my stomach. Thank god. I don't have to do too much, "Ok. Where's Melissa?"

They all look amongst themselves for a few seconds, "She's over there." Piper says,pointing a tanned finger at the popular table, "The one with the caramel curls and stuff."

Melissa was tall. Her caramel coloured hair waas obviously curled and went just under her shoulders. She had ice blue eyes and her face was caked with makeup. Great.

"Wish me luck then." I say, getting up.

"You're not gonna-" and that was all I heard before I set off to the table where Melissa sat.

The people around me went quiet as I passed. Her laughter hit my ears like nails on a blackboard. Her table stopped laughing when I stood behind her. I tapped her shoulder, and crossed my feet.

"What?" She snaps, turning around. Woah! Someone likes to roll in dorito's. (Her skin was that fakely tanned) She was a few years older than me, around 15 or 16.

"Hi, I was told you were the dance captain. I wanna join the team." I say, smiling and praying that the 'charm' worked.

"Ok. Well, are you free after school?" She asks, snapping her gum. Yuck. At least my sister was hygenic about it.

"I have the swim team try outs, butthat'll take like half an hour." I say, "So around four work?"

"Sure." She says cockily, turning back to her table, "Good Luck." Is all she says before pretending I wasn't there.

That went well. As I made my way back to the table, I felt stares on me. Nico, Piper, Jason, Annabeth, and Percy were staring at me.

"Dude! How'd you get the coourage? Most people cower." Percy says, scooting closer to me.

"She's not that scary. I have to be at the dance studio at four." I say, smiling proudly.

"Cool. I hope you get in." Piper says, before returning to her conversation with Annabeth. Her rigt hand was clasped in Jason's left on the table. They're probably a couple.

**A/N**

**I am on firee!**

***Starts singing Alisha Keys 'Girl On fire.'***

**Pangie AKA Angelseasons : No, Sky, just stop.**

**Me: THIS GIRRRL IS ON FIRRRRREEEEE!**

**Angelseasons: Sky...**

**Me: Fineeeeee! Whatever you say _mother. _Jeez woman. **

**Angelseasons: better. **

**Hey, I like updating. I'm horrible at it though. I hope you liked the chapter! What do you think of Paisley and Melissa?**

**Dedicated to Pangie AKA Angelseasons because she's been bugging me to update. Here you go Pangie!**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	3. Mum, I Don't Do 'Play'

Chapter 3

The next few periods of school couldn't have gone faster, and very soon, I was in the changing rooms, getting into my togs (Swimsuit) I had to double check that none of my scars showed, after tying up my hair.

My scars were a touchy subject, and no one but my Mum, and brother knew about them. You'll probably get bored with my life story, so I'll explain it later.

I take out my cap and goggles, before exiting the changing rooms. Percy was waiting patiently for me, by the diving blocks. When he see's me, he perks up a bit.

"Ok. I want you to do eight laps of freestyle, and I'm timing you." He says, getting off the block.

I easily put my cap and I adjust my goggles, before getting up on the block. "Take your marks," Percy says with a stopwatch in hand, "GO!"

I dive smoothly into the water, and feel the cold rush past me. I start doing my freestyle, and in a minute and a half, I'm done.

"Ho-ly schist." Percy gulps, looking at the timer. "That was fast." He seems a bit stunned.

"What was my time?" I say, only slightly out of breath. He turns the stopwatch around to show me.

1: 58

I smile. "A few seconds better." I tilt my head, "Anything else?"

"Whats your mainstroke?" Percy inquires, still a bit on edge about the one-minute-fifty-eight thing.

"Butterfly and Freestyle." I reply almost instantly. I love butterfly. It makes me feel free.

"Ok. Three lengths fly, one free. No time." He says. "On the red, top." He points to a giant one minute clock.

I do my laps, with my arms going the way the coach back home instructed.

"Cool." Percy says. "I'll get hedge. He'll want to see this. Wait a minute." Percy says, running out.

I tread the water, because its easily up to the bottom of my neck, without me treading the water, and standing on my tip toes. Percy soon comes back with Hedge.

"Hop out for a minute, Paisley." Percy says. I heave myself out off the pool, and stand awkwardly next to the blocks.

"Eight laps butterfly. Timed." Hedge says, eyeing me.

I step up onto the block, and get into diving position with one foot forwards and the other back, my fingertips and toes curl over the edge of the diving block.

"On your marks..." "GO!" I dive in and do my butterfly. At the last lap, I swim harder and faster than before. My hand slam against the wallish thing.

"Holy mother of Hades." Hedge says. They have very wierd swearing, "Thats fast."

"Paisley Brown. You are now officially apart of the Goode high swim team." Percy grins.

I smile and hop out. I run and get changed into my dance stuff, before heading over to the smelly gym.

Now in leggings and the same tank top, I sprint to the gym, just making it. Melissa's back is to me, and she's on her phone.

"Hi." I say, not even a tad breathless. She spins around to face me.

A small speaker is behind her, and her snazzy Iphone 5s is plugged into it.

"Mat. Center. Now." She says. A group of thin, blue mats are pushed together, forming a large blue surface. Melissa presses a button on the Iphone, and ' Bubblegum Boy' by Bella Thorne fills this half of the gym. "Do exactly as I do." She instructs, facing me and standing infront of me.

She does a series of fast movements, but its nothing I haven't done before, and I pick it up fast.

"Ok. That was good." She says, breathless. "Now flexibility. We do tonnes of stunts, and we can't accept you into the team, if your not flexible."

Another girl, with as much make up on as Melissa, and blonde hair comes in. I recognise her as one of the other girls at the popular table.

"Easy." I say, "tell me what to do."

"Backflip." Blondie says. I do a backflip.

"Splits." I do the splits.

"Right leg."

"Left leg."

"Cartwheel."

"Handspring"

And so the list goes, with me doing all of the above.

"I guess we could accept you into the dance team." Melissa says slowly, "What do you think Lena?"

"I think so too. She needs the uniform, and she has to wear it tomorrow though, to signify that she's apart of the best dance team." Lena says, checking her nails. What is it with these 'Popular' people? They're not all that popular, and they're so barbaric, I think they're part alien. And they're cliche.

"Come with me, Paisley." Melissa says, heading over to a giant black duffel bag. She opens it to reveal a bunch of tank tops, sports bra's and shorts, all with 'DANCE CREW' painted on the back.

"Try these on." She says, throwing the shorts and a black tank top at me.

I start to head over to the changing rooms, when Lena calls out, "You don't have to change there! Change here!"

"No thanks!" I yell over my shoulder.

I quickly change into the tanktop and shorts. The shorts weren't too short, but I think Mum would have a heart attack. They went to my mid-thigh, and the tank top had a swooping neckline, but didn't reveal anything.

I slip out of the changing rooms to show Melissa.

"Perfect. Well, you can take that one. I thiink we're done now." She says. I run to get my duffel bag, and flip open my phone to call my mum.

"Hi Sky sky." She says. I don't bother to correct her, and say 'Its Paisley now.'

"Hey Mama." I say, "I'm finished. I got a new PB in my 200 freestyle, and I got into the swim and dance team!"

"Thats great. I'm on my way now. Almost there." She says. I hear faint honking of car horns. She must be stuck in traffic. My Mum has patience, because she seems to be the only one not honking a horn.

"Ok. Love you." I say.

"I love you too, Sky." Mum says. I hang up.

I walk around until I find my locker, and I take out my school bag. Shutting the locker, I walk to the front of the school and look at my hand, where I write all my homework.

I sit on the concrete stairs, and gt started on my math.

_Give an algebraic formula for this linear pattern. _

_1\. 3_

_2\. 6_

_3\. 9_

_P= Px3_

_Work out the pattern for this formula:_

_P= Px2-1_

"Math homework?" A voice asks from behind me, startling me. I drop my pencil and book.

"Crap." I say, gathering my stuff.I turn to look into dark, deep, brown eyes. "Why're you here, Nico? Shouldn't you be at home or something?" I say bitterly.

"No. I came to tell Percy that we're going out for dinner, and to stop swimming and get home so we're not late." He says, sitting next to me.

I spot my Mum's car pull up on the curb. I shove everything into my bag, and leap up. "MyMum's here. Bye Nico! See you tomorrow." I say, running to the car. He yells something back, but I don't hear him.

/3

When we get back to the apartment, I find Mum has been very busy. The whole place has been unpacked. The living room, the kitchen, the bathroom.

"Better than all the boxes." Mum says, "Not perfect, but we can work on that later. Tell me about your day."

I sit next to her on the couch, and leap into my story.

"So, any friends?" Mum asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"Maybe. Well, not really. I think Nico is my friend." I say, yawning. "Can I go to bed?"

"Sure. We have guests coming over for dinner, Sky, so I'lll wake you up. Please don't hit me with your pillow." Mum says to my retreating form. Mum has friends already? Wow, Mum was busy.

I go into my half unpacked room, to the hammock swinging in the corner. Yes, my bed was a hammock. It had a stand, so it wasn't connected to the wall or roof. The walls were a ocean blue colour, matching my belongings.

I try and navigate around the unpacked boxes, and slip into the sheets. My eyes slip shut very soon, and I'm asleep.

O-|-

"C'mon bub. Wake up. They're here." A soft voice says, shaking me. My eyes crack open and I'm met by my Mum. Her blonde hair is tied back, and she's wearing a dress. "Please get changed into jeans and a clean shirt." She says, before leaving.

I rub my eyes, and see my mum shutting the door. I slowly get up, and change into jeans and my favourite army green sweatshirt. I come out of my room, quietly shutting the door behind me and switching off the light.

"Paisley. Come and meet Sally and Paul." I nod and walk over. A woman in her early fifties with dark curly hair and gentle eyes is standing there, along with-

"Mr. Blowfish?" I say, quirking an eyebrow. Clary Fray would be proud.

"Blowfis. Close, not quite." My english teacher says, smiling.

"Sally and Paul are looking after some teenagers. They're in the living room, if you want to go and play." Mum says, ruffling my wavy hair, "Or go brush your hair."

"Sure. I'll go get the barbie dolls out." I say sarcastically. "Mum, I don't 'Play'."

"Ok. Well, they're in the living room watching telly." She says, pushing me in the direction.

Nico POV

Susan's house is very clean, I note to myself. We're at dinner at someones that Sally made friends with today. Apparently she's from overseas. She has the same accent as Paisley.

We're sitting on the couch, watching TV. Well, Percy, Annabeth, Jason and Piper are. I'm studying the picture on the mantel piece.

Its of a small girl with curly, dark hair and green eyes doing the splits, leaning forwards with her weight on her elbows, and her hands cupping her chin. Her skin has a tan. She looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.

I hear a vague sound coming from the kitchen,

"Mum, I don't Play." I guess thats Susan's thirteen year old daughter. Sally said in the car that Sue thought she might have some trouble making friends and whatnot. Apparently goode is her fifteenth school, and her Mum thinks that maybe if she had friends, she'd stay longer.

Some schools she got pulled out of from bullying.

Some for sassing the teachers.

And others for unknown reasons.

I hear footsteps and a very familiar, accented voice say, "Oh my god. What are you all doing here?"

**A/N**

**Hey. I don't got much to say. Ummmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm trying to make myself as less cliche as possible, but we all know I suck at that. **

**Please review. **

**Dedicated to DreamingAboutLeoValdezForever for asking for this to be put up. Lol, I love your name. **

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	4. Dollhouse

Chapter 4

"Oh my god. What are you all doing here?" I demand on reflex, seeing everyone in my living room.

"Um. Hi Paisley. I guess your Sue's daughter." Annabeth says politely. I nod, still wondering why they're here. "Your Mum invited us all to dinner."

I slowly nod.

"Hey Paisley!" Piper pipes up from the piano, "Do you play?"

Piano and guitar used to be my favourite pastime other than sports. My sister and I had a knack for memorizing all the pieces we played. I haven't in a while though, because it reminds me of her, and thats too painful.

"Yeah." I smile slightly, rolling up the sleeves of my sweat shirt. "I stopped a while ago though."

"Why?" Asks Nico, glaring at the window. He seems to glare a lot.

"Because. I dunno. I do play from time to time, but I'm not as, erm, fluent. I used to be able to recognize what key was playing without seeing it, but hearing it. Only a handful of people can do that. I'm a little rusty." The guitar is in my room, gathering dust along with the music sheets.

"Paisley!" My mum calls from the kitchen. I turn around and run into her. She grips my biceps. "Sally Paul and I were going to go out. They're here to keep you company, Ok. We'll be back before ten thirty. I love you. I have my phone if you need me."

"Okay mum." I say, giving her a quick hug, "I love you too."

I watch her walk out the door with Sally and Paul before walking back to the living room and sitting on the piano seat.

"Hey Paisley."Percy pipes up. "Play?"

I sigh, and swing my legs over the seat, so I was sitting properly. I sigh, putting my hands in place. I start to play the first song that comes to mind.

_"Hey girl, open the walls, play with your dolls_

_We'll be a perfect family." _

_"When you walk away, is when we really play_

_You don't hear me when I say,_

_"Mom, please wake up._

_Dad's with a slut, and your son is smoking cannabis."_

_No one ever listens, this wallpaper glistens_

_Don't let them see what goes down in the kitchen._

He'd hit me. He'd hurt me. He'd make me cry. He'd scare me. He'd make sure he left a mark that my mum couldn't see.

Pl_aces, places, get in your places_

_Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces._

_Everyone thinks that we're perfect_

_Please don't let them look through the curtains._

The facade I put on was award winning. No one saw through it. Not one single person. I put on a mask, my smile. It was all false. Everything was false.

_Picture, picture, smile for the picture_

_Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?_

_Everyone thinks that we're perfect_

_Please don't let them look through the curtains._

If they looked through the curtains, they would see everything. Everything that I wanted to hide from Mum. From my friends. My non-existent ones.

_D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E_

_I see things that nobody else sees._

_(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E_

_I see things that nobody else sees)_

No body else saw he was hurting me.

At the end of the song, I rest my head against the keys, making no noise.

"Holy Hera. You said you were 'rusty'." Percy says, leaning back into his chair.

"That was," Piper pauses, "Awesome."

She had no idea how much that song meant to me. I'm staring off into space.

"Paisley!" Jason snaps, making me sit up.

"Hmmm." I say. The keys have left a dent in my cheek.

"What do you want to eat?" He asks.

"I can make something." I say, getting up, "Anyone up for spaghetti subs?"

"Spaghetti subs?"

"Spaghetti on hamburger buns with cheese. Then grilled." I say from the doorway, not bothering to check who it was.

"Okay. I'll help." Piper says, getting up and passing me before I can protest.

As we work, my mind is somewhere else. Piper shuts the oven, and looks at me.

"are you okay?" She asks, "We might not be the best friends, but we can tell somethings up."

"I-I'm fine." I say, "Just, that song held alot of meaning for me." i lean against the cool counter.

"Okay. But if theres anything you need, if you want a friend, anything, you know where to find us." Piper says. She has a way with words, I note. She seems to be able to read my expression well too. Wait, friend? I've never really had a friend before.

"Thanks." I say, close to tears. Ugh! Suck it up Paisley. Stop being a wuss.

"Whats New Zealand like?" Piper asks, almost desperate to pick up a conversation.

"Fresh. Theres always a plant in sight. Even in the city. Its quite beautiful." I say, before the oven beeps.

"Dinner."

My name is Paisley Oceana Brown, and I swear I'm a doll inside a doll house.

Fake.

Plastic.

Un-realistic.

'Perfect'.

I'd pretend everything was perfect. Nothing was wrong. I still do. I'm a doll, and I swear someday someone will see through me.

**A/N**

**Its so short! But the plot is beginning to pick up now!**

**Who was Paisley talking about?**

**Why is she a doll?**

**I do not on PJO or HOO, Rick Riordan does. I also do not own 'Dollhouse' by Melanie Martinez. **

**Ok, before you ask, Paisley is only supposed to look like me. I'm not this stuffed up. No offence.**

**I'm supposed to be memorising my speech, so I'll go and do that now! Please review!**


	5. 5 Snowing

Chapter 5

"Mum." I say, shaking her awake.

"Mum."

"Mum."

"Mum."

"Wake up."

"What's the matter, bub?" She groans. I grin maniacally with excitement bubbling up inside of me.

"It's snowing!" i say. Despite living in NZ, I've never seen snow, and when I saw snow I flipped.

"That's great honey. Maybe when it becomes acceptable to wake up, say at eight, we can go to Central Park and build a snowman. How does that sound?" She says, tugging me until I was beside her under her thick duvet.

"It sounds great! Can we invite piper and Percy and Jason and Annabeth and Nico to come with us? Please?" I plead, giving mum the 'Puppy dog' look.

"Mhmm. Go back to sleep." Mum says, rolling over and her short blonde hair almost hitting me.

I find it almost impossible, what with the excitement of actually having it snow bubbling like a shaken up soda.

In the morning (At a more 'acceptable' time), Mum and I got ready for the snow. I, wearing my sister's maroon beanie with a maroon pompom at the top, dark jeans, combat boots, a thick sweater and woollen gloves, am ready for the snow.

"Muuuuuuummmmm!" I drag on the 'um'. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming bub!" She says from her room, "One minute!"

"One! Two! Three! Four!-" I say, counting to sixty. "C'mon!"

Mum appears in the lounge, where I'm draped across the couch, with my legs dangling off the armrest. She gives me a look, and I smile.

"I called Sally and she said that they were planning to go too, so we're meeting them there." Mum says, tugging me onto my feet. At this stage, I'm practically bouncing off the walls.

"Lets go!" I say, running to the door and swinging it open. I run to the elevator, and repeatedly push the 'down' arrow. Mum appears behind me.

"Pushing it more isn't gonna make it come faster." She says, shaking her head playfully at my childishness.

"Yes it will!" I say, hearing the 'ding' of the elevator. The doors slide open and inside is a little boy with his Mum. They're obviously going to the snow too. I smile and enter, with Mum close behind. The door shuts and I start tapping my toe, the boy looks at me with big blue eyes and I smile even wider at him. He gives me a toothy grin.

"We're going to the snow!" he says excitedly, holding onto his mum's hand.

"Same! Have you seen it before?" I ask. He nods. Lucky! "I haven't!" I say, awwing at his adorable-ish-ness. As soon as the doors open, his mother is dragging him out of sight.

I run out of the elevator, with mum struggling to keep up.

"Paisley! Slow down!" She yells. I slip on the icy path, and crash into someone walking towards me.

"oomph!" I land on top of the person. I almost laugh at the person's expression. It was Nico. I get off him, but he's still a bit dazzled. "Sorry." I say sheepishly, shying backwards.

He slowly gets up and nods at me, "It's alright. You slipped."

"Excited much?" Piper asks me with a knowing smile. I nod furiously. I'm surprised my head didn't fall off.

"Lets go then." Mum says, gripping my arm. I tug it back gently, but her hold remains. "Bub, no running ahead. Its not-"

"New Zealand." I roll my eyes at the words she's repeated to me for the past two weeks since we got here.

She's made friends with Sally and Mr. Blowfis, BFFLs I dare say. I think Nico, Piper, Jason, Percy and Annabeth are used to my craziness. I legit spent a week in a correctional care place. That's a totally different story though. Completely. Involving a beer bottle, a man, five boys and a girl.

Mum smiles at me and releases my arm.

(0.0)

"Did anyone bring a carrot?" I ask, looking at the people around me. They shake their heads. Jeez. Seven other people, and not one person thought to bring a carrot.

I stare at the snowman. It stares at me. Suddenly its squished, and sitting ontop of it is Percy. He looks at me in fear.

"Um, hi?" I glare.

"Jason pushed me."I glare harder.

"And its not my fault?" I glare at Jason. He shrugs.

"Can we go to the ice skating rink?" Piper asks.

"I think we should leave that for later. I mean, its getting late and colder." Sally says standing up from where she was sitting on the park bench.

"Paisley, come here for a minute." My mum beckons.

I stand up, ignoring the coldness of my jeans, and head over to her.

"I have to go to Cali for a few days, sign off my contract with the company and all, and Sally offered for you to stay at her house with her. You've made friends and your thirteen and need to go on a sleepover." She prods. I sigh. Mum used to always be away, filming a movie. It was her job. But after the accident, she quit. She never really forgave herself for being away so often, because that's how he'd get to me. He used every chance he got to ruin my life. I was always caught up on chores and jobs and sports that I never really got to go to sleepovers with my friends. But then again, I only had two or three.

"Okay. When're you flying out?"I ask staring into her brown orbs.

"Tomorrow night, but I can still make it to your swim meet." She promises with a smile. She hasn't seen me swim before. All she knows is that I'm good, and that I'm a Record Breaker. Cody used to be jealous because I was his younger sister and better than him at it. But he was better at rugby so it evened the score.

"Yes!" I say, hugging her tightly. "You have to be up the top at the spectator seating though. You're not allowed to sit with the swimmers."

"I know." Mum rolls her eyes, "Lets go back."

**A/N**

**I am the worst updater of this story ever. Because A) I'm the only one writing it, and B) I dont update much. **

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	6. 6 Lane Four

"Okay, and Paisley, lane four heat one. Ohh! You're the fastest!" Percy says, looking at the sheet of paper in his hands that tells him what lane, heat and event everyone is in.

I slide off my shirt, and get my cap and goggles out of my bag.

"Start off slow and speed up as you go. Good push off the wall and underwaters."Percy tells me, smiling. "There's a good ten minutes for the boys 1500 free, so I want you to stretch."

"Okay." I say, smiling back.

I line up in lane four, behind the one heat of boys. I see my Mum waving at mme from the front row of the seating. I wave back frantically. Sally is talking to her, probably explaining the sport to her,and that the lane 4 is the fastest.

I tug my long hair up into a hasty bun, and slap over my cap. I tug the strap of my goggles over my head, so they're comfortably placed over my eyes.

I start warming up my muscles, stretching them so I won't get a pulled muscle. It hurts getting one, I have before. This is why you should never tense when swimming. You can seriously injure yourself.

I adjust the block, just as the first boy is finishing. I spot my mother again, and her eyes are trained on me.

Piper and Jason are watching, talking at the same time. Annabeth is talking with Sally, and pointing every now and then at the pool. Nico is...

Nico is staring at me. His dark eyes bore into me, like he's analyzing everything.

A whistle blows, and I know that is my que to get up on the block.

I get up, ignoring my competitors, and zone in.

My hands are firmly gripping the front of the block, while my feet are apart, one further up than the other, which is placed at the prism shape that makes it easier to get the right position to dive.

"Take your Marks...

ERRRR" The buzzer goes, and I fly into the air, streamlining my arms. The water rushes past like small cold hands were stroking my sides and pushing me along.

Halfway through the 1500, my legs begin to tire, getting slightly sore, so I cut back to ease it a bit.

"Go PAISLEY!" I hear my mum shouting. Usually you can hear a dull buzz, but no. I can hear her clear as day.

In the last 100, I zoom up, past all the other people racing, and slam my hand on the wall.

I check the blue board, hanging up on the wall, covering most of it. It records the results and times from the touch boards. My eyes skim to my lane.

4\. Brown, Paisley 15:22 1

Yes! I mentally scream.

"Wooo! Go Paisley!" I hear Percy shout excitedly.

The 1 at the end of the line was my placing in my heat. Fastest heat, was heat one.

I breath heavily, hanging onto the lane rope as the next race started.

I swum under the ropes and climbed out of the pool, after the other race started.

I walked up to Percy, who was holding out my towel.

"So for the first two hundred..."

"Ugh! Who knew pools were so stuffy?" Piper exclaims, throwing her jacket on the couch and falling after it.

"I did."Percy and I say in sync. I look at him with a grin.

Mum left me at the pools with Sally, claiming she was going to miss her flight. Our goodbye wasn't heartfelt. It was embarrassing. She did the checklist thing, but in front of everyone. She made sure to triple check with me that I packed bra's. Thanks Mum.

"Annabeth."Sally calls softly to the blonde teen, "Can you show Paisley to your room, Hon?"

"Sure. Follow me, Pais."Annabeth says, tugging me down the white-painted hall. "So you'll be sharing a room with Piper and I. The boys are opposite us. We don't have to share a bathroom. Piper and I are on bunk bed's. Piper's up the top and I'm down the bottom. You have a trundler bed, which is all set out. Its next to my bed, so you're not that far away."

"Cool." I say as she opens the door. She was right. A bunk-bed was pushed to one side of the room, with a pull-out mattress beside it, propped up on a metal stand. Against the other wall was two desks. One was messy and cluttered with books and pencils, the other was very orderly, with the pencils in the pot, and the books on the shelf. There was a door on the wall opposite me, which I assume led to the bathroom.

"Make yourself at home. Dinner is in an hour."Annabeth smiles at me warmly.

These past two weeks have be aright I guess. We've all became friends. Well, they were already friends, but I joined them. I walk over to the mattress, and slide my duffel bag, school bag and sports bag under it. I leave out my onsies to get changed into after dinner, before heading out to the lounge with my book.

I sit on an un-occupied chair, and slip on my glasses. Opening my book, I start to read.

"Paisley! Before I forget!"Sally says, handing me the white capsule and a glass of water.

Nico glances at the pill, and I shift uncomfortably on my feet. Shoving the pill into my mouth, I swallow a mouthful of water. I gulp the rest of the glass down before putting it in the sink.

"Let's go, Kids." says from the doorway. "Before it snow's too hard."

In the car, Nico gives me a strange look. At school, Nico gives me a strange look. He keeps giving me this 'look'' until I ask him about it in Gym.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask him, grabbing a skipping rope from the basket in the middle of the court and un-tangling it.

"Why were you taking anti-depressants?"

**A/N**

**Like the cliff-hanger? Because I do. I must say, I am very proud of it. **

**Why do you think she was taking anti-depressants?**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	7. 7 What's The Point?

Chapter 7

_"Why were you taking anti-depressants?"_

"Cupcakes! You're here to improve your fitness levels, not have tea and chat." Coach Hedge orders Nico and I, unknowingly getting me out of a very awkward situation.

I run to the other side of the gym, where the girls are gathering, and start skipping.

101...

102...

103...

"And TIME!" Hedge says, after I reach 138 skips. "Gather up, Cakes!"

I huff, and roll up the skipping rope, refusing to meet Nico's obsidian eyes.

I refuse to look at Nico for the rest of the day, even in the car.

"So Paisley, got any siblings?" asks, trying to get rid of the obvious tension in the car.

My siblings were an extremely touchy subject. I hate to talk about them, simply because they're not here in more ways than one. I look nothing like them as well, with tanned skin, dark hair and green eyes. They're all tall, tanned, blonde haired and brown eyed. Like I said, nothing like me. None of them have eye problems, and none are dyslexic and ADHD. And they don't have wacky allergies.

"I have six brothers and an older sister. They're all older. The eldest, Cole, is 24, and he's married with a kid of his own, Harry. Harry is a cutie." I coo, remembering Liz and Harry. Harry has ginger hair and honey eyes to die for. He's not even a year old. He will be in December.

"That's a lot of siblings."He remarks, whistling appreciatively.

"Yeah. Mum had to work a lot so I was left with them alone a lot." I say, remembering what he would do when Mum wasn't there.

"Where are they now?" Nico asks from beside me.

"I don't know. They were all older." I lie. I know exactly where they are, I just don't wanna talk about it. Like I said, they're a touchy subject.

"Hmm." Nico says, obviously not believing me.

"I don't!" I say, trying to sell my lie.

"Oh, I believe you." Nico says sarcastically.

"Shush, you two." Mr Blowfis says with a small smile. "We're here."

"And you carry the one over to the next column, and add it to that." Annabeth shows me how to do an algorithm.

"So the answer would be 137." I say, pointing the end of my pencil at the question.

"Sure is." Annabeth says, "Write that in."

Annabeth has been helping me avoid Nico. She doesn't know it, but she has. I write in my answer, just as Nico comes in.

"Annabeth, Piper wants your help with something." He says, looking at me briefly before looking at Annabeth.

"Okay." She says, getting up, "You're alright with algorithms now, right?"

"Mhmm. Thank you!" I say cheerfully, trying to act like nothing happened this morning.

"Welcome." She says, leaving. Nico is still standing in the door.

"So, are you going to tell me anything?" He pries after Annabeth is out of earshot, walking into the room.

"No." I say stubbornly. I was not going to tell Nico anything about why I moved and why I have to take the medication I do. I don't open up as easily as my Mum does. But also, if my Mum didn't, Sally couldn't look after me.

"Why?" He says, not getting the hint that I don't want to talk to him.

"Because I don't want to." I say, trying to work out the next question in my math homework.

"That's a stupid reason. I'm guessing it has something to do with your siblings." He says, sitting next to me and looking at the simple questions.

He has no idea how close he is to the truth.

I don't reply.

"It does, doesn't it?" He says, looking at me. I don't look at him in fear that I might actually say something. "You know, I will find out sooner or later, so might as well tell me."

"Well, if you're going to find out anyways, whats the point in telling you?" I say, slamming the math book shut and putting my pencils back in my pencil case.

I get up and leave the room, leaving a confused Nico behind.

I have to take another before bed. Luckily, only Sally is in the room now and she understands that I don't want to tell anyone about it.

"You're a brave girl, Paisley." She tells me, smiling softly as I swallow the pill and a glass of water, "You have no idea."

I smile at her, not knowing how to respond.

"Nico asked me about you earlier, when you were taking a shower, you know." She says, taking the glass from me and putting it in the dish washer.

"I know. He kept bugging me about it all day." I say to her, waiting for the water to settle and the horrifying taste to leave my mouth.

"Sorry about that. But I would be curious too if I were him."She says apologetically, "I didn't tell him. Its up to you if you want to. But I think you should. Maybe they'll understand your way of doing things and reacting if you told them."

I don't reply. I just think over her words.

"Sleep on it." She says affectionately, hugging me.

"Thank you, Sally." I say, hugging her back before pulling away. "Night."

"Night sweetie."

Later on, when I was tucked into bed with the lights out, I think over what she said.

Maybe I should tell them.

I let that thought linger as I drift into the land of sleep.

**A/N**

**Hi. I just had to say that. **

**I feel great. Another update!**

**Yay!**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	8. 8 Help

Chapter 8

I wake up screaming. Now waking up screaming is not the way I wanted to wake up. Maybe an alarm clock like yesterday, but no. It was midnight, and I woke up from a very bad dream.

"Paisley... Wake up. You're screaming." I hear Annabeth say, as I open my eyes and stop screaming.

It takes a moment for it to sink in that I had a night terror in a house or apartment with five other teenagers and two adults. None of them I know very well.

I am surrounded by Piper, Annabeth, Jason, Nico, Percy and Sally.

My eyes fill with tears, and I scrunch in a ball.

He was there. He was trying to kill me. Again. He hurt me. He killed them.

"Could you please leave." I hear Sally say through my sobs. Then footsteps and the closing of a door.

The mattress dips beside me and a frail hand slides up and down my back.I lean into Sally's touch and so into her shoulder, my stomach burning with the reminder of the scars he gave me. Mentally and physically.

"Shh." Sally soothes, "You're safe now. He can't touch you."

She continues like this until I run out of tears.

"S-sorry." I say, rubbing my eyes.

"What was it about? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. " She says to me as I sit away slightly. Her hands are out slightly as if I were about to fall and she was going to catch me.

"He was after me again." Was all I said. I can't see the scars through my onsies, thank goodness, but I can feel them throbbing slightly.

"Okay. Do you want to stay up? Or go back to sleep?" She offers, "You don't have to go to school if you don't want."

As much as I like school, (Yes I kinda like school) there's nothing to say I won't have a breakdown again. Usually I have multiple ones in the same night if I go back to sleep and throughout the day I am unstable.

"Can I think about it? The school thing I mean. And I think I should stay awake. Better for my mental health if I do." I say, running my hand through the mess of knots I call my hair.

"Okay." Sally says, "Don't hesitate to yell if you need anything."

"Okay." I tell her, bringing my book out of my bag and my glasses.

Annabeth comes back in with Piper. I think the guy's must have gone back to bed.

"Night guy's." I hear Piper mumble after they're both back in bed.

"Night." I reply, reading under the bed with a mini torch so I don't keep them awake with the light.

"So, are you sure?" Sally frets, giving me a concerned look.

"Positive." I say, smiling. I agreed to go back to school, because they give free counselling and everything is confidential. I may miss a few classes, more like the whole day, and sleep. It was dangerous to do that last night with my nightmares.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you feel uncomfortable or something." She says, as I leave the door. "Bye kids have a great day."

In the car, I made sure to ride with Mr. Blowfis, because he wouldn't pry and already knew what was going on.

"Percy," He says before we go into the school, "Help Paisley to the office, would you?"

"Sure." He says, jogging over to help me to the office, which I was perfectly capable of doing by myself.

We walk in utter silence, until we get to the office. "If you ever need someone to talk to, you know I'm here, right?" He asks me before he can open the door.

I offer a small smile and a "Yes, thanks Percy." Before he opens the door.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The office lady says to me and Percy.

"Um, Hi. I wanted to know if I could see the counselor, maybe if their not busy." I say a bit shyly.

"Yeah, of course sweetie. I'll go and double check to see if she's busy." She says before heading out the back through a wooden door.

"You okay here?" Percy asks me, concerned like his mother.

"Yep." I assure, "Thank you Percy."I say, giving him a real quick hug.

"Cool. I gotta go to class so see you at lunch or after school." he says before leaving the office.

The lady comes back with a smile on her face. "She's here. She's free all day, so you can talk for as long as you want." She says, leading me to the back. We pass through a hallway and a few doors labelled 'Principal's Office' 'Staff Room' and 'Staff Resources' before we get to one saying 'Guidance Councelor's Office'.

"Just through here." She says, opening the door for me and letting me through.

Sitting behind a desk was a woman who looked a lot like Miss McKingsley, with her blonde hair and structure, but she had green eyes and pale skin. She looked up from behind her glasses and stood.

"Hi, I'm Mrs Carrywoods." She says, holding out her hand for me to shake, which I did. The office lady went and shut the door, leaving me and Mrs Carrywoods.

"I'm Paisley." I introduce myself.

"Take a seat, Paisley." she says kindly, gesturing to the two chairs set out in front of her desk. I sit down in the right hand one and put my bag under the seat. "Whats wrong?"

And finally, for the first time in months, I can let out what happened.

Three hours later, I leave the office. I was talking for three hours. Well, two and a half, but she was talking and advising me the other half.

She told me that I needed to remember the people around me that love me, like my Mum and brother and sister in law and my nephew. Things like that. Keep myself busy (I do that anyways), and remember that nothing that happened was my fault, it was his and that drunk drivers.

She also told me that I could go to the nurses office, two doors down and sleep. She'd marked me as present at school on the system because I technically was at school, just with another teacher.

I knock on the nurses office door, and step in. The walls were a sterile White and there were three beds laid out and a white, cluttered desk. There was a large cabinet with an attached sink and drawers opposite me. At the desk was a man in his mid twenties. He turned in his chair to face me.

"Hi, how can I help you?" He asks, standing up. I hand him the slip of paper that Mrs Carrywoods gave me. He reads it over and smiles softly. "Here, take your bag off and rest. Would you like for me to call your mother?"

"No thanks. She's in California. I'm staying with Sally Jackson and Mr Blowfis." I say.

"Well, rest anyways. I have a break in a few minutes, because its lunch. Would you like for me to tell him then?" He asks me.

"Um, okay I guess." I say, shrugging and falling onto the surprisingly comfortable mattress. I slide the blanket over me and fall into the state I like to call sleep fairly quickly.

**A/N**

**Two Updates in one day? Say what?  
**

**Hi. I feel like an extremely lazy couch potato because I have sat in bed and done nothing but read 'Saving Sawyer' which is an incredibly good wattpad book by the way. Also I was writing this chapter. **

**But, you will be pleased to hear that I cleaned my room and am making dinner tonight so the day wasn't completely wasted. **

**How was everyone's day? So far anyways...**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**

**Please comment etc. **


	9. 9 Why

Chapter 9

"I think you all desreve an explanation as to why I've been acting this way." I say, playing with my fingers in my lap.

After school, I gathered everyone on the couch to tell them. Yes, I am going to tell them. I think. Hopefully I can make it through without a melt down.

"Yeah, just a bit." Jason says rudely.

"Jason." Piper warns, giving him a pointed look.

"Well, get on with it." He snaps at me. I'm taken aback by his attitude. It was always there,but he barely showed it.

I sigh, "I may not be able to finish it today, because its both really hard for me to say it and the story is long. Please bare with me here."

"When I was born, Mum decided she was going to take a few years off work to look after my siblings and I. There was eight of us kids in total. I always knew something was wrong with me, because they all had blonde hair and brown eyes. Their Dad, Richard, hated it too. He hated it because I wasn't his. It was blindingly obvious. Mum, when I was four decided to go back to work, so she was barely ever at home.

"That was when it started. Richard would give me a slap here and there. y siblings didn't do anything because he was their Dad. As I got older, it got worse. Both physically and emotionally. I had no person I had as a supposed father beat me. Mum wasn't there. It was really hard.

"It kept going until the beginning of this year." I say with a sniffle, deciding to look up at them. Annabeth was hiding her face in Percy's shoulder. Percy looked horrified, as did Jason. Though Jason also looked shocked. Piper was almost crying. Nico looked shocked. Utterly shocked.

"My brothers got sick of having to put up with the injuries and my sister didn't want me to keep taking her make up to cover the scars. Before you think what a B-I-T-C-H, she was really nice. She cared for me, beyond what you would think. So did my youngest older brother, Cody. He was only two years older. My oldest brother, Cole, had moved out. He's twenty four now, married and has a kid of his own. But anyways, my brothers called the police. They came in the middle of him trying to kill me for the third time.

"Mum came back after that. She kept apologizing for not seeing it. My siblings and I got closer after that. Richard had been sent to jail for I don't know how long and Mum was back. Later on, in March, it was Cody's birthday. I went to a different school than the others, so we decided we were going to meet up at the mall a few blocks down from my school, which was half an hour away from theirs. Cole decided to drive me. We were waiting and waiting for them, but they never showed. Cole called them, but they didn't pick up. They were supposed to be there ages ago.

"Cole then got a phone call from Mum. My second and third oldest brothers were driving the car when it crashed into another car at a red light. They were killed on impact. Tammy and her twin, Tane, were critically injured and put on life support, and so was Cody and Peter. Peter died after, then Tammy, then Tane, and then Cody.

"After the funeral, Mum told me she had decided we were moving here. To many bad memories over there. I was diagnosed with PTSD, because I couldn't handle them all dying. I had all this support and then it was all gone at once. I was also diagnosed with depression. I was sent to this facility for a month to help me gain some sort of mental peace of mind. Soon after that, Mum and I moved here." I finish, wiping away the tears that escaped. "So Nico, that's why I have to take anti-depressants at breakfast and before I go to bed."

I get up, hugging myself from the cold, and head over to the room I share with Annabeth and Piper. I shut the door behind me and drew back the covers on my bed. Just as I was sliding underneath them, the door opened. I buried my face in the pillow, and someone moved my hair out of my face and sat on the bed next to me.

"Shh." Annabeth hushes, "It's alright."

I hadn't even realized how hard I was crying. Tears flowed down my face, making it sticky and yuck. I can't even imagine the shade of bright green my eyes would be.

Annabeth tilted my head towards her, and wiped away the never ending rain of tears. The never ending rain reminded me of Auckland. It never stops raining. (A/N Legit. The rain comes and goes. I swear the weather has bipolar disorder. One second sunny. Next minute raining really hevily and tonnes of roads are blocked off. Thanks Auckland. But Auckland is cool if you take away the horrific changes of weather. Just saying.)

"You know, if you didn't tell us, we'd start to bug you about it. So be glad you did it." She hushes, making me sit up and embracing me in a tight hug. The others must have been standing outside the door because they came in the room, after she said that.

Nico POV

I had my suspicions, from the scar running along her back. It was visible from the 'O' shape in the back of her racing swim suit (I so badly wanted to put 'Togs' but no one but people from NZ would know what I mean). I didn't actually know.

I feel bad for asking and bugging her about it now that I know.

We walk in on Annabeth hugging Paisley, with the smaller girl facing the wall opposite us.

"Paisley, I'm sorry for snapping at you." Jason apologizes, Piper nods at him, telling him that 'YES THIS IS A LEGIT APOLOGY AND NOT SARCASTIC' through her body language.

Paisley nods into Annabeth's shoulder sadly. Her shoulders were slumped and her body was lifeless. Her voice was strained all throughout her talking, and it was raspy as if it were dry, and sore. It was almost painful to hear her. Right now, the pallor of her skin was scaring me. It's usual, smooth and natural tan was replaced by goosebumps and a sickly pale colour. I guess thats what happened to me. I used to have olive skin like hers too, but now its pale too.

"Hey, are you alright?" Percy asks her, coming closer to her slowly, as if she were a bubble that was indescribable colours and if you got too close, would pop.

Annabeth gives him a 'Really? You're asking that question?' look and then returns to stroking Paisley's smooth, dark hair.

Her hair looked like you could have it down for days, yet would never gain a knot. The waves were smooth as well and if they were the colour of Percy's eyes, would easily be mistaken for the waves at a beach. The colour looked to be a dark chocolate colour.

I don't know what this gods forsaken feeling was, but I sure as heck was a bit scared to find out.

**A/N**

**ITS BEEN REVEALED! OH NO!**

**Dedicated to Kiera, because its her BIRTHDAY! I never got to perform my birthday song for her :/**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	10. 10 The Talking Picture

"So, you told them?" Mum asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah Mum." I re-assure, "Nico saw me taking my pill and was asking me about it so..."

Mum is quiet for a minute.

"Mum?" I ask, checking she's still there.

"Do you like Nico?" I can picture her wiggling her eyebrows.

My mum is quite relaxed. She's cool with almost anything, and is reasonable with punishments. She understands its hard for me to make friends because I'm quite different because of my disorders and people used to bully me because of them. She's like my best friend. She gets my jokes and is probably just as sassy as I am some days (A/N My mum is like this. She's cool.)

I found it hard to answer her question. Did I?

"No. I don't think so." I tell her. Nico was quite nice to me, but I think I'm a bit young for dating. Piper told me he hardly ever used to talk, until I came along that is.

"Oh." She says, disappointment clear in her voice, "You'd be cute together."

"Mum!" I say, not believing that my Mother would say that. But she is an inner teenager.

"Sorry!" She says, "I gotta go, honey. I'll be here for a while longer."

"Including Christmas?" I ask.

"And new years." She says apologetically. "Sorry, Hon. I gotta go."

"Bye." I say, masking my disappointment.

Mum hangs up. I put my phone in my bag and go out into the lounge room.

They were watching Spongebob. I think it's kinda weird. Talking fish and sponges. But it is a little funny.

"You talk to her?"Piper asks, shuffling over on the couch to make room for me.

"Yeah." I say, sitting on the floor in front of her feet and resting my head on her knees.

Her hands thread through my hair and start to braid it expertly, not tugging at the semi thick strands.

"So, is she alright?" Piper inquires.

"Yeah. She can't make it back for a while." I say, "Until next year at least."

"That makes it sound ages away, when really its only three weeks." Piper says with a grin.

I shut my eyes and nod. "Three weeks feels like a breeze."

We're silent for a moment, letting everyone watch TV in peace.

Suddenly, I felt a change in the room temperature. I opened my eyes, to find a hovering picture of a scrawny boy with unruly curly hair, mischievous brown eyes and what looked like machine grease swiped on his tanned cheek.

"Hey everybody!" The boy chirps.

The picture talks. The picture talks.

My heart rate picks up and my eyes widen.

"Um, hey Leo!"Jason says.

"T-the p-picture c-can talk! Holy crap! The picture can talk." I start to freak out. Then 'Leo' finds out that there is another set of eyes in the room. My heart drops to my stomach. And I slowly back away from it.

"Um... Hi? I'm Leo. But you can call me McSchizzle." He winks, before someone in the background shouts "Idiot!"

"Paisley..." Nico trails off, looking at me hesitantly.

"What's all the fuss- Oh, you must be Leo. I'm Sally." Sally says like she's seen it all before.

I'm 's the thing! There is no way that this happens in real life.

"If I can't see it, it's not there." I chant, curling into a ball.

Sally gasps. "Percy, get Hedge."

Coach Hedge? He's in on this too?

"Guy's. Hate to break it to ya, but its not the first. And its not April." I say, "So please explain to me how this 'Leo' person is floating!" I yell, my voice quavering.

"I'm just gonna go-" Leo starts to say, pointing to somewhere behind him. Around him are some tools. Paisley can see some metals in the distance behind him, wires and wood.

"No." Piper commands, her voice as smooth as honey. "You are not leaving." She says. I find myself calming down and relaxing with her voice. "Paisley, relax. There is nothing to be afraid of here. We're like you. Okay? We're still the people you know."

I found myself believing her, and every word she said. This Leo fella did too.

"I'lll stay." Leo says, "But only because you asked so nicely."

**A/N**

**It's short. i'm not gonna lie. Not my best work either, but...**

**Any who...**

**Bye for now!**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**

**Comment!**


	11. 11 The Freight Train Of Christmas

Nico POV (OHHHHHH)

To be honest, I was kinda expecting Paisley to collapse on the floor, from light headedness. Not sit there and let us explain. I guess she has had some strange experiences. Though, she did think Leo was a talking picture. Like the ones that was in Harry Potter. Only, those ones's didn't talk.

"So, I'm a demi-god." She says slowly, pronouncing the word carefully as if she was afraid she'd get it wrong and offend someone else or herself.

"And so are we. And all the greek and roman myths and legends are true." Leo says to her. She nods, taking in the information.

"And my Mum knows." Bitterness rolled off her.

"Yes. But it's for your safety." Annabeth assures her, with a hand on her knee. She looked terrorfied before. Like we were monsters.

"Okay." She says, surprising us all, "It's just a lot to take in, I guess."

"So you're okay with everything." Piper checks, eyeing her curiously.

"I guess so. I'm just a little shocked." Paisley sighs, her eyes darting around the room, "I mean, you saved the world, twice, and like, I'm living with a bunch of heroes!"

Percy looked at her, blushing slightly, "Well, the gods are kinda useless."

"And stupid. And YES WE CAN SAY THOSE THINGS BECAUSE WE DEFEATED GAIA ONLY WITH THEM HELPING EVERY NOW AND THEN AND GETTING US OFF TRACK!" Leo says, looking up before the sky rumbles.

The gods did kind of owe it to us. We've saved them twice in the past two years and they just go back to ignoring us. All they do is confuse us as to which way is which and who to trust. I mean, the worlds first dysfunctional family and they're still going.

Paisley giggles at Leo's words.

"I called your Mum, "Sally says from the door to Paisley, "She wants to talk to you."

Paisley holds the phone tightly, "Hey Mum- yes, I'm okay- No, I do not need... what? No!- That's a bit over the top- seriously?- So you're back for new years?- Awesome!" She says as everyone makes awkward conversation over the top of her.

"Okay, I love you- yep. Bye Mama." Paisley wraps up, grinning. "She's back for new years, but after Christmas!"

"That's good." Sally smiles at the wavy haired girl before taking the phone back. "Leo, be careful of your words. They can still zap you."

"But-" Leo tries to protest, before giving up, "Ah, I got nothing."

Paisley looked horrified, "Wait, so they can zap me? THEY CAN KILL ME WITH A FLICK OF THEIR FINGER?" She looked at us all wide eyed, not that her eyes weren't already big before.

"Yes, but they won't unless you're really really bad, and even then they won't zap you. They'll turn you into an animal." Annabeth reassures her. Paisley pretends to wipe sweat from her forehead as she relaxes.

"Good, I was worried that they were gonna zap me like woah. That would be cool! I wonder what it'd be like to be zapped. It would feel tingly." Paisley rambles to herself. "Tingly is a weird word."

Leo snaps his fingers and nods appreciatively, "I like your way of thinking."

"Up top!" Paisley says, holding her hand up for a hi-five. "Wait! You're not actually here. This is embarrassing."

"Hello? Did I get the wrong house? Dang cupcakes, gone and given me the wrong address." The voice of coach hedge floats through the house.

"In here, Hedge!" Sally calls.

Coach hedge bounds into the room, all almost five foot of him and all.

"Hey cupcakes, Sally, Paul." He nods to each of the adults, "You all explain it to her?" He glances back and forth between Sally, Paul and Paisley awkwardly.

"Yeah, Hedge." Paisley says, squirming in her spot on the floor. "Chill."

"We're going to have to take you to camp half blood soon. We'll attract too many monsters. I'm surprised we haven't gotten attacked. " Coach says, roaming the room. To be honest, Coach didn't really intimidate anyone. Just scared them.

Paisley POV (Three days later)

"Okay, so you wrap the tree in tinsel?" Piper asks me. I nod. I was explaining to her how I did the Christmas tree with seven siblings. Percy was struggling to put up the tree, with help from Jason and Annabeth. Leo was coming over for new years, with his girlfriend Calypso.

"Well, first you put the lights on, and we have a star that we'd put on last. After the lights came the tinsel and then we could make our own paper decorations and put them on the tree." I say, remembering when my brother Cody and I would argue over whose decoration was the coolest. He had ADHD too, so when I came up positive for it my Mum wasn't too surprised.

"Cool." Piper says, leaning back into the couch comfortably.

I felt like I was intruding on their Christmas. I mean, I was always taught that Christmas was strictly for family. You weren't allowed to go to a friends place. Last Christmas I went to my friend, Oliver's, house on Christmas. He'd invited me over for a barbecue along with my siblings, because it'd be rude not to. If you were inviting one of us over, another was bound to tag along. It was common sense to make sure there was room for at least another Brown, though I was the only one with that last name.

I got a severe beating when I came home again. You see, Mum had gone out to see her mother and I asked Richard. He said no, but I walked to the bus and caught the first one there.

"Paisley?" Piper gently shakes my arm worriedly.

"Hmm?" I say, completely lost in thought.

"You okay there?" I knew that after I told them that it would change the way they thought of me. I went insane for a month, after all. I am still unstable, but less so.

"Yeah, I guess." I shrug. If 'Okay' was a word to describe what I was feeling. I don't know what I'm feeling. I want to scream and cry and try and pretend everything is okay for once. So, 'Okay' wouldn't be the word to describe it. She doesn't need to know that though.

"You don't seem it." She says, the worried expression not ceasing.

I shrug again, "Would you be?" I ask her. "If all your family was dead?"

"No." Piper admits, "But we're almost close enough to be family now." She says, nudging me, "And so long as I have friends like Annabeth and Percy and Leo and Nico and Jason, I'm alright."

I wasn't in that list.

"Yeah." I lie through my teeth, as Percy pretends that the tinsel is a hat and begins dancing around the living room.

"You too." She says, getting up, "Even though we've only known you for a few weeks, I can tell we're all gonna be really good friends."

I grin. Yeah. Maybe.

"Mum's almost home!" I sing, twirling around the living room with Percy, "Mama's alost home! Mama's almost home!"

"Woo!" Percy says, attempting to twirl after me, "That's the spirit!"

I wave the tinsel in the air and almost crash into the coffee table.

"Wheeee!" I throw my sweat-pant covered leg up into the air and continue twirling.

"Holy Hera! That's so cool!" Percy remarks, trying to do it as well after I stop.

I giggle and flop down on the couch next to Nico. He seems glum as ever, staring at the wall.

"Hey." I say and poke him, "Nico. Nico. Nico."

"What?" He asks, turning to look at me.

"Hi!" I grin. I've been like this all morning, bouncing around the apartment.

"You bothered me, "Nico dramatically pauses, "Just to say 'Hi'?"

"Yes." I say stubbornly, "I said Hi. Not like you were doing much anyways."

Nico nods, leaning forwards on his knees.

"I was thinking." He says, avoiding eye contact.

"About?" I prod, "You can tell me, you know. I won't tell anyone."

"They already know. Now stop being annoying and go away." He snaps, taking me by surprise.

"Sorry." I say standing up and straightening out my shirt.

You know how you never feel or see something bad coming until it happens? Yeah, well this was one of the times.

We were all crowded around the crackling fire place, as it seeped warmth. Nothing much was spoken, we we all enjoyed it being two days before Christmas.

All of a sudden,

"I am a gummy bear! Yes I'm a gummy bear! Oh I'm a yummy, funny, tummy, lucky gummy bear!"

We all jumped ten feet into the air, before we realized it was my phone.

"Sorry." I said, picking it up and answering.

"Hello, is this Paisley Brown?" Asked a voice on the other end. Her voice wavered un-confidently and she seemed on edge.

"Yes?" I say, beginning to get nervous.

"Hi Paisley, I'm Shelly. Your mother, Susan Brown was shot in the LA airport half an hour ago, two of the bullets hitting her. She was rushed to the hospital, where they will try and save her, and she's being flown over to New York now."

I felt like I had been hit with a freight train and an arrow shot through my heart at the same time.

"I'm awfully sorry, Paisley." Shelly says before I drop the phone.

Everything after that is a big blur that I don't remember. People asking me what's wrong. Fuzzy faces. Me falling over. Sally finding out. Everyone else getting told. Me hiding away.

I guess life wasn't finished with it's torture yet.

**A/N**

**I finished a 2km run. I cried at the end thoughbecause my ankles are really weak and felt like they were sprained or something and it felt like someone had hit me in the tummy. **

**I hate running. All the little kids beat me. **

**Anyways, I know I'm a horrible author. I mean, drowning one, killing another, and making another almost get raped? Wow. Rick would be proud of me. **

**I do not own PJO, HOO or the gummy bear song**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	12. 12 Socks Everyone Needs Socks

It took a while for me to process it through my tired, over worked brain. However, when it did sink in that my mother had gone, I broke down.

I screamed.

I cried.

I hit whoever came too close, out of fear that I'd hurt them too.

I starved myself, because the thought of eating made me want to puke.

No one got through to me, not even Cole who called every day.

Eventually it got to the point in which no one came close, and that was that. They all just left me alone, knowing I didn't want to be around anyone because it hurt so much. There was this ache in my chest and in my stomach, and tears blurred my vision more than my far-sightedness.

"Dinner's ready, if you want some" Piper says, opening the fire escape.

I keep quiet, only letting out a few sniffles.

"You know, I think you're being selfish. We loved your Mum too, Paisley. Have you even thought about how we feel?" She all but yells, her voice straining. "We know-"

"No you don't." I say, my voice weak from crying. "You have no idea how this feels. This sucks, Piper. I can't- I can't do anything, knowing all the family I have left is my brother and his new family who are halfway across the world because we can't afford to send one of us to the other. This sucks. It hurts to breathe, knowing that she's not here with me, Piper. And the difference between you and I is that I still love her. Even if she's dead. She's still here with me mentally. She's always going to be my Mum. She's all I had. And now she's gone, so don't you dare think for a second that you know what I'm going through. "

With that, I scramble down the fire escape, a sob caught in the back of my throat, painfully digging.

They found me three hours later in my Mum's room in our apartment. It was always warm in here. The blankets were untouched. The carpet was soft. Everything was organized. I sat perched in her desk chair until they found me.

"Paisley." Leo sighs in releif, "Guy's! She's in here!"

Suddenly, loud footsteps shoot down the hall and people bustle into the room.

"We were worried sick!"

"Do you have any idea what you're putting us through?"

They all kept yelling, and I buried my face in my tucked up knees, covering my ears with my hands. It reminds me too much of Richard. He yelled at me the same way. It made me feel worthless, like I don't deserve to live anymore. This was the kind of yelling that broke down my walls in an instant.

The sob broke free from my mouth, along with a loud, high-pitched whine. The room fell silent as I cried.

I cried for my Mother, who was no longer with me.

I cried for my siblings, who I never got to say goodbye to.

For my sister, to whom my last words were "I hate you."

For my brother, who has to suffer alone.

For my nephew, who just lost a grandparent.

For Liz, who has to deal with the pain too.

And most of all, I cried for myself. For I was already too far gone into the abyss we call insanity.

"Guy's! You scared her." Someone scolds, "Poor thing is terrified."

Warm, soft arms wrap around my small frame and pull me into the person they belong to.

"Cry it out. It's okay. Shh." Calypso's soothing voice says, as she pats my back, "We're here now."

So I cry.

"Please eat something." Sally says, pushing a plate of toast in front of me. I poke at it, and nibble on the edges but my appetite is gone. I swallow a whole half before I feel like vomiting again.

"Enough?" She asks, sitting next to me. I nod, still refusing to say anything. I haven't spoken since the outburst at Piper. "Okay, honey."

We sit in comfortable silence before Sally speaks up, "Your Mum asked me to give you this for Christmas." In her hand was a ring. It was small and decorated with Paua shell. The colourful shell gleamed. This was the family ring. Mum got it from her mother and so on. A very long time ago, my family came from the Maori.

I look up at Sally, and she just nods encouragingly. I slip it onto my right pointer finger. It fit almost perfectly. It didn't feel right wearing something my dead mother wore, however.

"Sally, I got the gear together like you-" Nico paused, seeing me at the table too. I excused myself and went out onto the fire escape again.

It was cold. Very cold. I'm wearing shoes either. I can feel my fingernails and toes going blue or purple.

I don't care.

I deserve it.

Angry tears cloud my sight as I cry quietly on the snow covered balcony-escape.

"You know, sitting out here without shoes, or socks for that matter, is really bad for you." I hear Nico say from behind me, before something soft hits my back. I turn from where my legs are dangling off the edge, and my arms over the safety bar to face him.

Socks. Nico brought me socks.

I shrug and slide them onto my feet, feeling warmer already. I hate it. Being warm and fuzzy wasn't possible.

I whisper a quick thank you to Nico and turn back to the railing. I hear shuffling, and the door slide shut. Just me again.

Well, before I realized Nico had shut the door behind him and was coming to sit with me.

"I'm not gonna say it." He says, "That I'm sorry about your Mum. Because honestly, I'm not. Because I think everything happens for a reason. But I will say this, you have been through a lot, and you don't deserve it. I'm sorry for lashing out at you a week ago. I'm just really confused." Nico apologizes.

I sniff and look at my hands.

All of a sudden, I'm wrapped in what has to be the worlds most awkward hug ever. Well, thats because he's hugging my side. I turn and return the hug greatfully.

"Thank you." I say into his shoulder. He just awkwardly pats my back.

"Um, Paisley. You can let go now." Nico coughs.

"Yeah." I say, letting go of him and coughing. I turn back to the fire escape railing and sigh quietly.

I should probably explain why I'm mourning.

She died on the way here. In the helicopter/plane or whatever she used to come over.

It felt like a truck had hit me in the stomach. I had stared blankly at the wall for days. Not that I haven't still taken a liking to it.

My chest doesn't hurt as much, but it still aches. I'm wobbly on my legs, and can't stand for long. I haven't brushed my hair in days, or entered the room I share with Annabeth and Piper.

Basically, I am a hot mess.

Minus the hot, quadruple the mess a thousand times over.

**A/N**

**Hey! My class is in PE, but I'm super duper tired and there's been a lot going on right now in my life such as my grandad being in hospital and I'm sort of getting bullied by these girls in my class. But, I tried to update so here it is!**

**You can thank me later, or now. Whichever you prefer. **

**~KaleidoscopeColours**

**Can someone give me a hug? Please? With a cherry and sprinkles and whatever topping you like on top?**


	13. 13 She's My Friend

unknown POV

The power radiating off the bbuildingin front of me was outstanding, and that's hhow I knew that my kid was in there. The power was more than usual, and would attract many monsters if they didn't move soon. I have to warn them. There's something coming.

Nico POV

"Guy's, we have to do something." Piper says over the dinner table in a hushed tone. Paisley still refused to join us at dinner, and she was thinning at a pace that was concerning for everyone around her, including us.

"Well, what can we do?" I say, "She's gonna die at the rate she's going. I can feel it. She's starving herself, low energy and her aura is weak. "

"I have a plan." Annabeth says, "We..."

"Welcome back to school. I trust that you all had a well earned and relaxing break." The principle says, standing at the podium in front of the whole school. "However, one of our particularly new students is going through a rough time as her mother has died during the break and she can't get to her only remaining family with the issue being money. Piper, I believe you have something to say."

After Annabeth told us the plan, we deemed Piper the speaker because she could probably charm the people into believing her, not that we were lying.

Piper climbed the stage, her speech in her hands.

"Hi everyone! I'm sure you've either talked to Paisley or heard about her, but for those who haven't herea a little bit to go off. She comes from New Zealand and has been here for just over a month now. She's on the swim squad adn nholds the records and is on the track and dance team as well. Not only that but she's managed to worm her way into many people's hearts. Her brother lives back in New Zealand, and she thought that she would be able to move back with him if anything happened. Her mother died a few days before Christmas and she was unable to fina a way to her brother, because neither of them can afford the ticket. We were hoping that this is where you guy's can come in. I'm asking if you could donate maybe a dollar or two to help her get back to her brother, as he has legal custody over her. The spare money raised is going towards school funds."

Piper thanked everyone before skipping off the stage.

When we got back to the apartment, Paisley was sleeping on the couch with her head in Calypso's lap. Leo had lit the fire, and was poking it over and over with his finger.

"How is she?" Annabeth asks, shrugging off her jacket. I look over at her. Her nose was scrunched up, and her hand was hastily moving with a jerk every few seconds. She was so thin these days that it was worrying. I was worried about her.

"She fell asleep about an hour ago. Her hand keept moving though." Calypso says, looking down at the girl and stroking her hair. Paisley's hand moved so it looked like she was sucking her thumb.

"Has she..." Annabeth trails off, going into the kitchen.

"Three times earlier." Calypso says, sighing. I sit on the couch next to her and look at Paisley. Her lip was quivering slightly. It takes a few seconds, but I finally realise what she's gonna do.

"She's gonna..." I start before an ear splitting scream pierces the room as she sits up. She curled up into Calypso's side and began to cry as she clawed at her hair.

"Shh." Calypso hushed. I think Paisley found a new friend.

"F-F-" Paisley says, stuttering over her lip as she sucked in.

"What?" Calypso asks soothingly, rubbing her hand across Paisley's back.

"Whaea." (Pronounced Fire, meaning Mother) She says, in what I assumed was Maori.

"Shh." Calypso says, standing up and supporting Paisley with her hands. She beckoned me to shuffle over, and when I was near enough she leaned Paisley against me. Her skin was pale, yet warm. She was always so warm to the touch. From the day I first met her and put my arm on her shoulder to now.

Paisley stopped crying, and stayed curled up into my side. I raised my arm and draped it over her shoulders.

"Nico?" Paisley sniffled.

"Yeah?" I ask her, looking down at her glowing the time that I've known her, she told me that no matter what she did and how hard she tried to hide her emotions it would never work because of her eye colour. It changed according to her mood. Lime green for when she was sad and red for angry. Other than that it stayed her neutural brown/green.

"You're cold." She says, shifting herself so her feet were on my knees.

"Sorry." I say.

"It's nice. I'm too hot." She says. That can be taken two ways. "And not the attractive kind." She's got her humour back. And she crossed out one of the meanings.

"Here." Calypso says, handing her a glass of much needed water. "Go to Leo if you get cold." She instructs, "You can't get sick."

Paisley nodded, gulping down the water. I was glad she was at least drinking again. She would have gotten dehydrated.

The door opened, revealing Sally and a very very familiar face.

"Dad?" Percy asked, looking at the new figure.

"So you're Paisley?" Poseidon asked, staring at the girl huddled into my side. She nodded stiffly, not replying. "Sorry for your loss."

She nodded again, flicking her eyes to the wall. She shut her eyes, and leaned her head on my shoulder causing my heart to do a funny thing.

"She doesn't speak much." I tell him, "She used to talk almost too much but..."

Poseidon smiled at me sadly.

'She's mine.' A voice whispers in my head. I got a fright. Who's talking to me? What? How are they talking to me? 'It's me, Poseidon.'

Paisley is Poseidon's daughter. I nod at him in understanding.

This was going to royally mess things up.

I look between the two. Similarities were almost not there but her hair and eyes made it possible. Her nose was the same and I would be lying if I said that she had her mothers pale skin.

I feel her relax, and her breathing deepen. She was asleep.

"She won't wake up for another few hours." Poseidon says, "I don't want to tell her but I have to. She deserves it after what I made her go through."

True that. I wanted to slap him for making her go through that because he could have done something to help her. She didn't deserve it.

Once again, I look down at her. I notice that on her feet were the socks I gave her the other day. They were thick and went up to at least half of her shin.

"I kind of want to smack you for that but you're a god and I can't because you'd zap me. But I can't promise that she won't slap you."I say to him, "She got all emotional whenever we mentioned parents before her mother so good luck with that."

Poseidon looks sorrowfully at her. "Yeah. I can't say I don't deserve it. What kind of father-"

"She'll just need a bit of time to adjust to it, that's all." I say, "She'll adjust eventually with time."

"You're close to her?" It wasn't accusing, it was more curious. Poseidon wanted to talk to her, without any one in the room but Sally said that I should stay because she was comfy.

I felt glad that she was leaning on me for some strange reason. I felt like this with Wi- Oh no. I know what that feeling is.

To clarify: Will and I didn't really date. I mean, we went out this one time but that was it before I left to here.

I'm scared. I mean, it's not really cheating because Will and I never dedfined anything and kept the contact to a minimum. I feel what I felt with Will, but it was diffeent somehow. Maybe because she is a girl anf he's a boy but I'm not sure.

"Yeah, I guess. She's in almost all my classes and she used to coe over almost every afternoon because her Mum is friends with Sally." I shrug, subconciously stroking her silky hair.

Poseidon nods and gives me a smile, "As much as I don't like that my daughter has feelings for you, I think she needs another person to help her."

What? She likes me? How can he know, he only just got here?

"I've been watching her for a few days now. She hasn't talked to anyone other than Calypso, Sally, Paul and you. Everyone else she's kept from a minimum."

I feel bad that I've only noticed it now. But it's true. She just nods, shakes her head and uses body language with moost people. I think that this is the most I've heard her talk since her mother died.

"And I heard about what you guy's are doing to get her home." Poseidon says.

I don't want her to go, really. She's my friend. Like Piper has said, she's wormed her way into hearts like mine.

And I don't want her to go.

**A/N**

**Its so humid today... Yuck. **

**Ugh, my friends ex-crush is a bathtub bag. Seriously. Like, he threatened to call the police and his friends were all like "we should go to the office about this" and stuff and we didn't do anything but it turns out it was a sick joke. Like, THREATENING TO CALL THE POLICE WAS A JOKE!? I was crying... Well, I am a wuss and a goodie-two-shoes so... But anyways, he took it way too far. My other friend asked her friends who know him what they thought about him and all of them said he was mean so IN YOUR FACE RANDOM DUDE WHO I KIND OF HATE!**

**Sorry for the rant. It was 100% necessary. **

**~KaleidoscopeColours**

**Unedited. Sorry for mistakes. **


	14. 14 Camp Half-Blood

"Are you sure that's all you're going to eat?" Poseidon, the dude who showed up the other day, asked me as if he cared a lot.

I don't get this guy's deal. I get it, I understand that there will be people who want to help and want to make things better, but I don't know them and I don't trust them.

I nod, and look at my almost empty plate, knowing that I will indeed throw up if I eat more.

"Paisley, don't forget to take these." Sally puts my tablets on the side of my plate, and kisses the top of my head.

Poseidon's gaze doesn't loosen. if anything it intensifies.

This sounds crazy, but I feel like I know Poseidon from somewhere.

"Hey Dad, I was wondering when we were going to camp?" Percy asks Poseidon, coming through the door.

I give him a quizzical look, asking what was on my mind without sounding it.

"He's my dad." Percy says, patting me on the shoulder as he goes to get something from the fridge.

"Yep, tomorrow. Paisley, I would like it if you came too." Poseidon says to me, "You can stay in Percy's cabin and I can assure you that the majority of the people there are really nice."

I was a bit weary of it, but something compelled me to nod.

"Paisley don't forget that Cole is gonna call."

"This camp is for Demigods." Poseidon says, "Like you. I'm Percy's godly father. Poseidon, god of the seas. And I'm your Dad too."

Camp Half Blood was different than what I expected.

When someone says 'Camp', I think about the activity camps they have at school where everyone is in the same building, or in tents, and there's activities like swimming to the pontoon and running the beach and relay races.

I wasn't expecting there to be what seemed like a thousand different cabins, people milling around wearing the same orange shirt. I wasn't expecting people to come out of the tree's and people being half animal. I didn't think there would be an abseiling wall with Lava flowing down it. I wasn't prepared for a man, whose top half was man and bottom half stallion, to come out of the biggest building, three stories high.

"Percy! Good to see you again!" The man horse thingy says to Percy, hugging everyone who was lined up. I stare at the man.

How is it possible?

"And you must be Paisley." The man says stopping in front of me. I cling to Nico's sleeve, partially hiding behind him and part of my face covered by my dark hair.

I nod slowly.

"Welcome to Camp Half Blood." He says, "I'm Chiron, the activities director."

I nod again.

"I understand if this is a lot to take in for you." He says, nodding towards the others, who jump off the porch we were standing on.

The porch protected us from the sun, which I was surprised was there. Outside of the borders, which Sally explained to me, it was snowing. I know that Sally told me how it worked, but I still couldn't grasp the concept.

"Are you going to let go of his sleeve?" Percy asks jokingly, as I was still clutching Nico's sleeve like a lifeline.

Percy stayed on the porch, due to him being my apparent brother.

After Poseidon told me, he said he had to go. He told me the basics and that he was sorry. I didn't know what to say. I am a little lost, and I'm waiting for my brain to catch up with me and panic.

"Sorry." I say, letting go of his sleeve before holding onto my own.

Nico shakes his head, before heading off towards a dark cabin, which gave off an equally dark and mysterious vibe. Suits him, really.

Chiron trots down the steps, and looked back at Percy and I expectantly. I wait for Percy to follow before I do.

Campers give us strange looks, and whisper among themselves. Some went to the extent of pointing. The majority continued their activities.

"Okay, so I assume that they have told you about how everything works?" Chiron turns to me as we walk towards one of the cabins.

It was low and long, windows pointing to the ocean, which I was facing. The cabin was made of grey stone, mixed with what appears to be shell. As we reach it, I could smell the sea on it. I hesitantly place my hand on the cabin wall, feeling the material of it and look at it curiously.

"We told her the majority of it. The rest she can pick up along the way." Percy says, as if being here is a journey. In a way I guess it is.

"That's good. Tell me, Paisley, what do you like doing?" Chiron asks me, surprising me, and Percy by the looks off it. His eyes are wide.

"I like to swim." I say quietly, "And I like surfing and going to the beach. Tane and Cole used to take me snorkelling off the rocks. There wasn't any fish because it wasn't the right place, but it was fun."

"She's as good as me at swimming." Percy says, making Chiron look at me, impressed. I blush a little, but remain posture.

"Thought so." Chiron says, "Well, I trust you will make her feel welcome, Percy. Welcome back."

-2 weeks later-

"I don't get the point of Valentines day." Nico says hatefully, "It's stupid. You should show the person you love affection every day, not just when people tell us to."

I fall into step, on the way to the mess hall, with him easily.

"Yeah, I get where you're coming from." I say, remembering how everyone would forget it was my birthday as well and I'd be the only one home. My sister would have dates. My step-dad hated me. My mother was always at work, filming another movie. My brothers had dates, or they forgot.

Nico shrugs, "It's pointless." He points to the paper hearts that the Aphrodite cabin had glued on a piece of string and hung around the mess hall, "We're going to lose that, no one likes it accept the Aphrodite cabin, and it's plain stupid."

We mount the steps, Percy chatting behind us, and enter the pavilion.

I took me a while to adjust to it, but I got there. It was freaky when I met Blackjack. I couldn't grasp the concept that I could talk to a freaking Pegasus, and that Pegasi actually existed.

I've also made friends, other than the ones I already had before coming here.

Aura, a part of the Athena cabin, who also used to live in New Zealand. She's a whiz at everything and anything. Sports included. She's a faster runner than me, but I can beat her at swimming so that evened the score.

Cynthia, from the Zeus cabin. New sister to Jason and recruited when he was in New York. She's witty and sassy like no other. Rather slow on sports but she'll keep going until she's past the finish line, which I gave her credit for.

Harper, Boreas cabin. I'm not sure when she was brought to camp, but she is the single nicest person I have ever met in my entire life. She's bubbly and generous and smart and basically everything you want to be.

Melody, or as we like to call her, Dani. She can play music backwards and tells very very sick jokes that she says that I'm a bit too innocent to understand. She, much like Cynthia, is witty and uses it to her advantage. She's a siren.

Ali, the queen of hearts. She's a great person to hang around, unless you get in the way of her ship. Then you may as well just wander into the amazon without any survival gear. She's a daughter of Eros, and knows what's what when it comes to relationships, not that she's been in many. She is also the master at stalking people.

Lastly, Dawn. She's the ultimate fangirl. She'll break your eardrums when something cute happens in a book she's reading (even if it's the middle of the night and everyone is sleeping), and cry when her characters die. She's the master at not-hurting-books, as she only opens them about an inch before she reads, claiming that she will wreck the spine.

I still like hanging out with Piper, Annabeth, Percy, Leo and that, but I find it a bit easier to talk to the others. They are like superheroes, and amazing, and I'm not.

"I don't wish the day was never there and we skip everything festive altogether, because it's my birthday and I liked my birthday until everyone forgot it." I say, "Maybe it would be enjoyable if everyone toned down the lovey-dovey crap."

"I'll say." Nico grumbles, sitting at his table.

I sit next to Cynthia, who was talking to Jason about who gets the corner where you're out of Zeus's eye.

Sitting herewith her is better than sitting by myself. I've offered if Nico wants to come and join us so he isn't lonely, but he declined saying he enjoyed the time by himself.

Before you say "Percy's at your table, you psych." I'm going to tell you this.

Percy is a teenage boy.

Percy has a girlfriend.

Percy is in love.

Percy sits with his girlfriend, both of which are superheroes, and it makes me feel awkward.

Hence, it would feel as if sat by myself.

And I kind of wish I did today.

**A/N**

**Hello. **

**I kind of hate my life at the moment, and no, it's not just Christmas stress. Its everything else stress, and 'everything else' is just ugh!**

**Sorry for barely any updates. I really am. **

**The people (Dawn, Cynthia, Aura, Dani, Harper, Ali) are my real life friends. (yes, I have friends.)**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**

**I'm going boring. **


	15. 15 She

Halfway through dinner, Rachel the Oracle stood, her eyes blazing and seemingly possessed.

"She's going to say a prophecy!" Jason says, his tone very hushed.

I have been told by Percy what a prophecy was. He told me it was a tad bit scary to be on the receiving end of them as they lead to dangerous quests that nearly get you killed. Well, in his case anyways.

Rachel swivels around and looks directly at me.

"She shall cross borders to get there,

There she will face the heir

She will stand brave

And she will stand to save.

She will decease

Yet will not die,

She will be there to serve,

Serve the unwise.

She will escape,

She will be torn,

She will be saved,

Saved by the storm.

She will conquer the heir

But at what price

Because not all

Get to live twice."

And with that, Rachel collapsed to the floor.

I heard people begin to whisper, but I was still trying to figure out what she meant. I knew she was talking to me, I mean, she looked at me.

"Paisley!" Percy yells out, pushing past a few people and almost tripping over so he can get to me.

"W-what just-" I begin stuttering, as Cynthia pushed me up so I was standing. My stomach feels sore, and my brain is going into over drive, feeling as though someone was pounding into it.

"Come with me." Percy says, practically dragging me, as his hands were hooked under my arms and he kind of gripped really tightly.

I saw we were headed towards Chiron, who was trying to silence everyone.

With a huff, he bangs his hoof against the marble floors, causing everyone to fall silent and look at him.

"Okay, please continue with dinner. Counsellors, please come with me." Chiron orders, before he comes towards Percy and I, where we stand by the entrance.

"Follow me, Child." Chiron says, heading out of the pavilion al together.

A string of people, the older campers/ the cabin counsellors, follow obediently, silently talking.

As we reach the big house, Percy holds open the door before pushing me in.

"Follow Chiron." He says, staying back to hold open the door for everyone else, "I'll be there in a minute. Promise."

He must have sensed my hesitation, as his expression softened.

"Everything is going to be just fine." He promises, as I stumble back a bit before following Chiron far into the Big House.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I was not expecting this, whatever it is, to be held around a ping-pong table.

"Set up the chairs." Chiron says to the campers as they start to come in. I see Leo, Piper, Jason, Annabeth, Calypso and Nico so I assume that they are their cabin leaders.

I grab two chairs from the side of the room and drag them to the table. Everyone had already grabbed theirs, so I sat down, and Percy sat beside me.

"Okay, we are going to discuss the prophecy Rachel just recited. Any questions to start off with?" Chiron asks, looking around the table.

A girl, Clarisse I think, raises her hand, "How do we know it's her?" She points at me with the hand she raised, "I mean, it could be any girl in this camp."

"Rachel was looking directly at her when she spouted the prophecy." Jason says, "I would know because I was sitting at the same table."

"It could be a –"

"You should know by now that nothing is a coincidence." Annabeth says, her eyebrows furrowed, "What I don't get is the part where it says "She will decease, yet will not die" because decease means to die."

"I don't know." Chiron says, "Anyone else?"

"Maybe it means to die on the inside." Nico says, not even looking up. When everyone's eyes are on him he looks up, "I mean you can physically die, or mentally die. It could mean she mentally dies but she's not dead because it's all mental."

Chiron looks at Nico, impressed. "Well then, now we have that sorted, anyone else?"

"I still don't think she's the 'She' Rachel was referring to." Clarisse says stubbornly.

"Oh, and you are?" One of the other leaders scoff, "She's the closest person we have to this 'she'. Rachel was looking right at her."

This whole conversation was making me dizzy, and tired. My stomach feels uneasy, and frankly is doing more flips in a row than I can.

I feel a large hand grip mine. I stare at Percy for a few seconds before he asks me a question quietly. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know, Percy." I say just as quietly. I feel a slightly foreign feeling in the pit of my stomach, crawling up my throat and petrifying my legs, making all my movements shaky.

Percy keeps holding my hand. I guess he's trying to tell me that he's there if I need, or want, help.

"Okay, so we're pretty sure it's Paisley." Piper says, "But who's going with her. It mentions the storm so I assume that means Zeus. So either Jason or Cynthia."

"Jason's roman." Chiron says, "So Cynthia, I assume, will be the one going."

The doors burst open, and in stumbles Rachel.

"Chiron, "She says, "I feel like there should be more people than three going."

Chiron looks surprised.

"Maybe it's more than one she it's referring to." Rachel says, "And I dunno. I don't think three should be going. Too bad for three."

Chiron thinks for a moment, "Are you sure? Last time more than three went…"

"I know, Chiron." Rachel says, "But I have a good feeling about this."

Chiron looks at her skeptically, before looking at me.

I would be lying if I said that I understood a word of what came out of their mouths, because after the word 'storm', said by Piper, everything became a blur. Words slurred into each other, and didn't make sense, they flew in one ear and out the other. I wasn't able to grasp the concept.

Not to mention my sight. Before I could see over the ping-pong table, to Nico who was opposite me. But now he's a big dark coloured smudge in my vision.

"Percy I don't feel so well." I say, before the darkness of the smudge takes over my vision, and everything goes numb.

**A/N**

**Woo! There's now a quest!**

**Who do you think she takes with her? And what do you think will happen?**

**~KaleidoscopeColours**

**Please leave a comment!**


	16. 16 An Explanation

_"__You pathetic excuse of a human being!" Richard shouted at me, "Why have I let you live even this long."_

_The wall felt cold and hard against my back as his hand tightened around my neck. My hands claw weakly at his arm, hoping to get a bit of air. _

_Suddenly, his grip dropped completely, leaving me heaving on the floor, clutching my throat and unaware of his next movements. _

_I felt a sharp, yet strong and consisting pain through my side and I cry out. _

_The knife wasn't too deep, and it wasn't going to pierce anything important, I hope. _

_"__Please." I say weakly, my hand flying to my side as his cruel face sneers at me, making me more terrified. _

_My hand removes the blade and it clatters to the floor, blood gushing from the wound. _

_Sure, it might not do much damage, but there is always the possibility of bleeding out, here on the floor of the basement. _

_"__Paisley." He said, his nose wrinkling in disgust. _

_"__Paisley." He repeated, making me wonder how he knows. _

"Paisley! Wake up!" Percy shouts, shaking me awake.

My eyes fly open, and I wake up gasping for air.

Percy sat, perched on the side of my bunk, his hands on my shoulders. His brow was furrowed in concern.

"Oh thank gods." He says, pulling me into a hug.

My arms flop over his shoulders, and my face buries into his neck. Shock from the so realistic nightmare takes over, as my body begins to shake. I gulp in as much air as I can, my hands clawing at Percy's back in what must be putting him in a bit of pain.

"It- He-" Every time I try to start my sentence, it goes badly and I can't get enough air, despite my efforts.

"Shh." Percy hushes, his hands moving up and down my back soothingly. Tears leak from my eyes. The pain was so real.

I release one of my hands from his back and bring it to the side where the knife was impaled. I feel the roughness of a scabbed over, and still healing scar, amongst the many others.

Sobs rack my body, elevating pain in my head and heart. My heaving goes to waste, as I begin to really hyperventilate.

Percy see's this and picks me up, the blanket that was previously covering me was hanging from my feet and was getting dragged along the floor as Percy carried me outside.

He set me down on the step of the cabin, before sitting next to me. I knew the harpies were out, and they would probably come for us soon, however I couldn't care less. The cool, refreshing air was relieving and I found myself breathing easier in the less clogged air.

"Better?" Percy asks, staring at me in confusion. He was probably wondering why this happened, what I was dreaming about.

"Much." I manage to force out, as I lean on my knees, arms tucked to my chest. I drop my head on my knees, a few stray tears leaking.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Percy asks me, his hand resuming the soothing action of running up and down my back.

I nod, "Maybe," I take a humungous breath, "Maybe later."

The air feels cold, but it was great all the same. It felt like home, almost. With the woods. My house used to be in the middle of the forest, our driveway stretching far to the gravel road, which then went to a lot of slightly bigger ones before reaching the main road.

It was cold there, in the woods, but it was fun. There were endless adventures on my doorstep, which I used to explore almost every day with one of my brothers. I was practically raised in the trees, which explains my tree-climbing ability.

"Okay." Percy says, nodding in understanding.

We sit there in silence, that doesn't feel awkward. More like the kind where your friend sits next to you to make sure you're okay, but lets you have space by not talking. In a way that's exactly what happened, but none the less I feel better. I feel like I have support.

When I fainted in the meeting, I got taken to my cabin. Percy apparently told them that it would be a lot to take in for me, in view of the fact that there's been a lot going on in the past year. I was checked, just to make sure I was okay, and then given the all clear.

I have to go on the quest with the people of my choice, in a few days. However, tomorrow (It's 11 pm) it's my birthday. The day that Richard was caught out in the action. My Mum never really bothered with me until Cole threatened to leave, so she never celebrated my birthday and was always away on work for it. Somehow Cole managed to get her back for my birthday, and she saw. Okay, maybe she saw the police, because Cole had recently become a member of the police force and almost disliked his father as much as I did.

Cole practically raised me, teaching me how to walk and talk. Ten-year-old Cole was as understanding as an adult, and he would make sure I was okay when I cried in the middle of the night. He helped me with homework, as I grew older. He assisted me when I tried (and failed) to make pancakes for the first time. He was my fatherly figure, and nothing would change that.

My only sister, Tammy (AKA Tasmin), was like a mother to me. Sure, her role in my childhood wasn't very big, but she was there on the rare occasion that Cole couldn't be. Her twin, Tane, was also a step in, and he very often found himself babysitting me when he was of age, as Cole had university and my other brothers, Peter, Harry and Liam, were too self-absorbed and like their father to want to do anything. They would call me names, and make me feel worthless, but my youngest brother, who was only two years older than me, made sure I felt good about myself.

Cody was a masterpiece. When I had no friends, he would include me. He would make me feel special, and like no other. He was my best friend. We rarely argued. He was so kind-hearted, and humorous. We we're the troublesome two, partners in crime. We didn't really do anything bad to anyone else, as we knew we'd get in trouble which would make it worse on me. He knew what was fair, and where my boundaries were set. Cole was the hand out to me, he was the heart. Sure, he didn't teach me. He didn't help much with homework, but he had a heart of gold. When I cried because it was painful, he would make me laugh. He cleaned my cuts and put a packet of frozen peas on my bruises. He never left my side when I went to the hospital. Ever.

I really miss them.

"We should go in now." Percy says, standing up. "It's getting cold and I don't want you to get sick before your quest."

**A/N**

**Hello. Again. **

**I'm going back to school in under a week. I am not happy about it. I'm scared, I hate my uniform, I hate the people in my year, I hate science, I hate the grouchy teachers that I know I'm going to get, I hate my principle and I hate hate ****_hate _****not having one class for almost all my subjects.**

**I'm going into year 9 and all my classes are in different places. I don't even know what half the numbers on the places are called, or where they are! We also have to do Peer Support again for all the new people that come in in year nine. Yay me. Not. **

**IM 13! My birthday just passed and I'm so excited! I got a whole bunch of vouchers, a book, a necklace, and a new pair of togs (I only had one. What competitive swimmer has one pair of togs)**

**I spent the last two nights in a row staying up until 12:30 with my friends and I'm kind of really tired. **

**~KaleidoscopeColours**

**thoughts about the chapter? Thoughts about Paisley's siblings? Anyone?**

**Please please please comment. **


	17. 17 This Is A Nightmare

**Listen to Shawn Mendes, A Little Too Much while reading this chapter. Beware: I'm evil. **

Nico POV

In the morning, Paisley, Cynthia and Aura where no where to be found. Annabeth came to check in my room for Paisley, and maybe Aura. Harper was running around like a headless chicken trying to find out where her friends were, and Percy was a wreck to say the least.

"They don't even know where they're going!" Percy wailed, "And she hasn't been properly trained!"

"Percy, she's in good hands. Aura is almost as smart as me. Cynthia is tougher than hell. She'll be fine," Annabeth tried to soothe Percy from his nightmare.

I couldn't help but worry either. She should have left something to tell us where they went, or at least iris messaged. But I knew that it would have been pointless if they were trying to put distance between them and the camp.

I hadn't slept properly, Percy wasn't eating, Leo was complaining that his only "Crazy Friend" was gone, Calypso was worried out of her mind, and don't even get me started on the girls that hang around Aura and Cynthia.

Melody was moping, Harper, as stated before, didn't know what to do, Dawn kept trying to find something they left around the camp, and demanded a picture of each of them. Percy reluctantly held out one for her. Ali was trying to see if she could track them down using the demigod-safe internet.

"What if she doesn't come back, wise-girl?" I heard Percy ask Annabeth when I went to go and see if Paisley remembered to bring something that I told her would come in handy in training. I stop in my tracks, right outside the door to his cabin.

"She will, Percy. She'll be fine," Annabeth hushes, "She wouldn't want to see you wasting away, so you have to look after herself at least until she comes back, and she will. "

Percy sighs, "If she doesn't I don't know what I'll do."

To be honest, neither do I.

—-

It was months before we found anything from them, not like many people were actively searching though.

And it wasn't planned either. It was an iris message.

"Nico!" A familiar voice yelled at me from behind.

I spun on my heel and faced the wall of mist, where the live-stream of two girls weeping was.

Cynthia looked like she had been dragged through hell and back, her shirt ripped and dust covering her clothes.

Aura's glasses weren't anywhere to be seen, her chest heaving, and she looked just as bad, if not worse, than Cynthia.

Both girls were crying tear-lessly.

"What's wrong?" I ask them, "Where's Paisley?"

At their silence, a sheet of dread washes over me, my lungs feeling too tight for my chest and my heart running around in my throat.

Yes, I have one.

"We came across a nest of monsters, and we were doing well," Cynthia starts, a single tear making a track through the dirt on her cheek.

"And then one let out a cry for help, and suddenly there was some coming from the sky too. Cynthia tried to hold them off, but she can't take on multiple monsters at once, and at least I had Paisley try and help too! She was doing so well! And then one of the dragons got past and it-" Aura stopped mid-sentence, but she didn't need to finish.

"We're coming back. We can't do this without the quest leader," Cynthia says, a sob coming through her chest violently.

I stared blankly at them, my chest feeling heavier than ever. It felt like someone was stabbing me repeatedly in the chest over and over and over.

If this is what I felt like, what would Percy be feeling?

No, she can't really be gone. This is a nightmare. I'm dreaming, and when I wake up, I'll be fine and Paisley will be back here at camp, laughing and skipping around too.

But I knew that despite my trying to reassure myself, that it wasn't true. She was well and truly gone.

"Where are you guys? I'm going to shadow travel over and bring you two back, okay?" _It's the least I can do. _

"We're in, we're in," Neither of them could form a coherent sentence.

I looked at the place surrounding them, and finally figured it out.

They were in Boston.

It was simple, I would shadow-travel over, not say anything to them, and shadow-travel back.

But somehow, I couldn't find it in me to go back. Not just yet.

"Did the dragon fly," I clear my throat so it doesn't go raspy, "fly away?"

"Yeah, just after it snatched Paisley. We don't- I'm so sorry, Nico," Aura looked utterly miserable.

"Apologise to Percy, not me," and gods save them when they do.

The shroud for Paisley was sea blue, her favourite colour. And it was decorated in shells and pictures. No one had the courage to tell her older brother. He just assumed that because she was here that she was safe. And after he had lost his siblings and mother, no one wanted to tell him that he was alone.

"Percy, do you want to say something?" Chiron asks Percy quietly. Percy shook his head. I knew that he wouldn't get a sentence out before it getting both weird, or him crying.

"I'll say something," I say, looking to Chiron who raised his eyebrows at me, "She was my friend too."

Everything I said felt wrong coming out of my mouth, as I started telling everyone about her. I couldn't feel her, and that was a good thing.

Strange thing to say, but I asked the spirits if they had seen her. She hadn't passed through. I know she had a few close calls, and I would know if she was there. And I know that she's not dead.

At least not yet anyways.

**A/N**

**Heyyyyyy!**

**Happy Day After ANZAC Day!**

**Was I too evil? Sorry. But it was necessary. **

**Was it a bad cliffhanger or what? But I did warn you. **

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	18. 18 Happiness

Happiness By The Fray (The Fray is the bomb dot com (my statement, my friend's wording)) Please listen to it while reading!

Two Years Later:

The dummy swayed dangerously as Nico hacked at it over and over. The sides of the doll had been chipped away, each hit cutting another part of, the parts getting bigger and bigger with each hit.

_It would have been her sixteenth birthday, _Nico thought bitterly as he jabbed his sword. Everyone had already resided to their cabins, while Nico stayed out. He wanted to be ready for any attacks, especially Dragon ones.

He had been asked to be many people's valentines, but he had declined them all. Not when it was the date that she went on her quest that got her 'Killed' even though he felt that she wasn't dead. No one listened to him when he tried to tell them.

Cynthia and Aura said that they "Saw the bloody dragon eat her". Well that Dragon needs to learn that there are other more deserving people to have for lunch. Like when your mum says that you can't have the banana because she was going to make banana cake for something. You don't eat the banana. You take something else.

Okay, a little weird analogy but who really cares.

Nico kept hitting the dummy until it was into pieces and he couldn't hit it anymore.

The remains were scattered around the ground, littering the area he was given.

Percy had survived, and moved on as best he could, and as did everyone else. Nico. Not Nico.

She was his friend. He was hers. And despite them being complete opposites, he loved being around her. She always had something to talk about, she wouldn't hate anyone, and she wasn't disliked by many. Most of all, she was strong, and it was something so many demigods aspired to be. And she didn't even have to try.

Nico, huffing and puffing, drew back his sword into it's scabbard.

"Hurry up, Nico! You're going to miss the Valentines Day campfire! It's going to be so c-" Lacy began from behind Nico.

"I'm not going," He says to her gruffly as he walked past, his head ducked.

"You know you can't hold onto her. She's gone and she's not going to come back," The words hit harshly, and he kept walking.

"She's not dead. I can feel it. Trust me, I would know. I've looked in the underworld, asked my dad and everything. She's not there," Nico says stubbornly, "Now if you would leave me alone and I can go back to my cabin. Enjoy your evening."

Lacy had been one of the girls to ask him. And be rejected. And it was obvious that Aphrodite's weren't used to being rejected.

Puberty had been kind to Nico Di Angelo. That and he spent a decent amount of time in the training arena. His skin had gone olive from the time spent in the open-roofed area.

"Sorry, I was just trying to help," Lacy says, tugging her cardigan around her shoulders and sighing before leaving Nico alone like requested.

Nico grasped his water bottle and walked out of the arena, shaking the sweat out of his dark hair.

"Hey Paisley," Nico whispered to the water underneath him, his feet dipped into it. He was leaning against the wooden stump at the end of the jetty. "Happy birthday. You would've been sixteen, and we would've been able to go out of camp and have dinner and seen a movie. You know that I had five different people ask me to be their valentines this week? I said no, of course, because I have better things to do like hang out with you. I mean, you're not actually here but you're close enough. You loved it here, and as soon as you found it you showed it to me. I was so happy that you came to me before your new friends."

Nico's throat clogged with tears, and he sniffled quietly to himself. Saying all this hurt him so much, but he knew that there wasn't another way to contact her. Not iris message, as he didn't know where she was. He couldn't shadow travel for the same reason.

"Gods I miss you. Wherever you are, please come back," Nico says to the water, a tear leaking out of his eye, "Please. Percy says he's okay and that he's moved on but he hasn't and your friends are still hurt. I know they blame themselves. I know you're not dead. I just know it. Please come back. Everything will be okay. I promise."

He knew it was a big thing to say, and that he was probably wrong with it, because her prophecy wasn't finished, but he knew that in some strange way that it would be okay, and that she would be fine if she just came back to camp. If she just came back to them. To her friends. To her family. To Nico.

"So what did you do last night? You weren't at the campfire," Percy says. Percy was now nineteen, graduated, and he had a job helping kids with ADHD. He came to camp every weekend and holiday, however stayed with his Mum otherwise.

Nico didn't want to tell Percy what he had been doing, as he knew that it would make him sad.

"I just went to bed. I was training pretty hard yesterday, and it tuckered me out." Nico slashes at Percy, as he dodges it, and jabs back.

"Why don't I believe you?" He groans, ducking another hit, swiping at Nico's ankles.

"You tell me," Nico slammed the hilt of his sword into the top of Percy's helmet, making him crumble on the spot.

Percy sprawled out onto the dusty ground, grinning up at his friend who clearly won the fight.

"Because you won't look me in the eyes," Percy says, sighing before looking beside him onto the ground. "I know that it was her birthday yesterday, and I know you were training all day. You didn't show up to any activity other than your first, training. And you didn't leave. You turned down multiple daughters of Aphrodite, because it was my dead sister's birthday."

Percy looked Nico in the eyes. He looked sad, and angry.

Nico was conflicted. He didn't know what to tell Percy, or how to physically respond. It was all too hard for him, even though it wasn't his sister that was dead. Though his was, that scar had scabbed over and this one was flowing with fresh blood.

"Hey, don't be sad. She died fighting," Percy stands and hugs his friend, "And for what it's worth, I totally shipped you two."

And with that last remark, Percy walked away with a grin, leaving Nico in the dust.

"Nico Di Angelo! Do you know how many of my sisters came crying to me the other day?" Piper yelled at Nico, one hand on her half-pregnant belly.

Considering she was the daughter of Aphrodite, Nico wasn't too surprised. But if you added in the fact that Jason was an ex-praetor it was a little shocking. And when Nico first found out he was stunned into silence.

"Um, two?" Nico guessed, wiping the dust off his sword.

"Five. Five of my sisters fell in love with you and then you just had to go and say no and-" Piper begins to ramble to Nico, before Jason comes up and covers her mouth with his hand. Piper glared at Jason forcefully.

"If you think about it, I was doing them all a favour. Relationships have to work two ways and I wouldn't have been invested in it," Nico says to Piper, calming her down. Jason slowly removes his hand, which Piper grasps tightly.

"Lemme let you in on a little secret," Piper leans over to Nico, making him come closer, "My sisters wanted me to chew you out, and they wanted to do so much worse than what you supposedly did to them, so I just did you a favour too. And to be honest they need to get over themselves. I shipped you with Paisley too and it was her birthday. And they knew that. They just wanted you to have your mind off it. Don't be too harsh with them because of it. Lacy told me about the training arena."

Nico rolled his eyes at Piper, who looked at him pointedly, "What? Sorry that it was my dead best friend's birthday and I didn't want to be a downer. Besides, there would have been many more willing people to go with them."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Piper dismissed, "Anyways. My feet are killing me and my sisters have gone back into the cabin, so goodnight and you may want to not use any more of your shampoo or conditioner. There may or may not be something in it. I heard them scheming."

A/N

Double Update! Woooooo!

Who thinks that Nico is right?

Should he have turned down those daughters of Aphrodite?

What happens next?

Auckland summer, we had a good run. And I understand that you've been holding back the rain for quite some time but seriously? Last night you kept me up because the wind sounded like a child screaming bloody murder.

Sincerely, Sky.

~KaleidoscopeColours

I can't have wifi on my computer anymore unless it's plugged in. And then it's not wireless. My parents...


	19. 19 Nico Kills a Dragon

_"__Nico! Give me back my book!" Paisley shrieked, chasing Nico around the camp as he was ahead of her and in his hands was her most prized possession. The Fault In Our Stars. _

_"__No! You have to come and join in on the games!" Nico says, laughing as she caught upto him and jumped on his back. Her body weight swayed Nico, but it wasn't enough to make him fall over. His spare hand caught onto her leg, holding her up. _

_"__Give it back and I will!" She giggled, her legs clinging onto him. She smelt like vanilla, and apples. It was because of that reason, that Nico had taken a liking to apple cobbler. _

_Nico turned his head so he could see her clearly. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, and tickled his cheeks as the wind swept it. Her dazzling green eyes shone with humour, and her mouth was stretched into a smile. _

_"__And what do I get from it?" The other campers had gone to put their armour on, leaving the happy couple. _

_"__My love and affection?" Paisley offered, her lips forming a, what Nico found cute, pout. She grabbed the book from his hands and kissed his cheek before jumping off his back. She turned her head and started jogging, "The blue team is totally going to own you."_

Nico woke up in a cold sweat. Those dreams were the worst. He would dream that she as still there, alive, with him. It was cruel.

Sighing, Nico ran a hand through his wet hair. "Why…?" He drew out the word quietly to himself as he peered over at the alarm clock beside his bed. 4:32 am, it read.

There was no point in going back to sleep, not when he had to get up in half an hour anyways.

Paisley used to wake him up when she woke up, which was usually at five in the morning. Percy was too heavy of a sleeper for her to wake him up.

"And anyways, you're my best friend, not Percy," She would say when he asked.

Nico swiped the blankets off his legs, and leant over to get his clothes for the day. Dark jeans, a dark grey shirt and a black sweater. Today, because there was a large bonfire last night, everyone was relaxing.

Nico didn't go, and was well rested up. Though, he came back to his cabin later than usual, there were campers who returned early into the morning. Nico would stir whenever they passed his cabin, loudly singing or stumbling in the bushes. Yeah, singing.

Changing quickly, Nico tugged on some shoes and sprayed deodorant on his clothes. He wasn't anything colourful, as per usual, though he knew that yesterday he should have. She always said red or blue would look good on him, even going to the lengths of throwing her favourite blue scarf at him so compare and contrast colours.

Quickly brushing the thoughts out of his hair, Nico trudged outside.

_"__Nico, Nico! Come quickly! I want to show you something!" An urgent whisper came from the cabin door, waking Nico unexpectedly. _

_Groggily, Nico pried his eyes open and waddled over to the door, the blankets curled around him like a shield. _

_"__What?" He hissed at the girl waiting at the steps, "It's five am Paisley!"_

_"__I want to show you something," She said innocently, rocking back and forth on her heels, "And yes, now!"_

_Nico groaned, and trudged back into his cabin begrudgingly. _

_"__Well, someone's not a morning person," Paisley said to herself, walking into his cabin without invitation. _

_"__I think you would be the only teenager in the world that is," Nico said to her, shedding the blankets and throwing them at her. _

_"__Bet there's another," she tossed the blankets onto the bed and opened his drawer. She hastily threw clothes at him, demanding that he change. "I'll even go outside while you do, but if you're not ready in five minutes, I'm coming in, halfdressed or not."_

_Nico nodded and gulped in understanding. _

_After he came back out, Paisley was holding out a hot chocolate to him._

_"__Thanks," He said to her, as he lifted the mug to his lips, following her to the lake. _

_"__Watch!" She told him, pointing to the horizon. _

_Strings of orange, red and yellow tore into the dark sky, brightening it. The colours stood vibrant and proud. _

_"__Wow," He said in appreciation, "It's…"_

_"__Beautiful," Paisley filled in, grinning at him._

The sky was filled with the same colours, but now they looked dull to Nico.

To someone else, it may have been beautiful, but to Nico it was painful. She was always so mesmerized by the world. She could spend hours just looking at the clouds. Granted, if she spent too long in the sun she fell asleep. She drug Nico all over the place. Up trees, into the lake (She pushed him) and all sorts of places like onto the roof of the stables.

Nico walked over to the dock, where he was the previous night, and sat down with his legs crossed.

He stared into the clear water at the end of the dock. It looked inviting, but Nico knew that it would be so cold.

"Attack on camp borders!" The younger boy on patrol cried out. Everyone else was asleep, and Nico was the only one awake.

Nico jumped up, hand on the hilt of his sword. He made a mad dash to the top of the hill, his heart racing. He knew what to do, as the boy gathered up the rest of the campers.

Nico wasn't expecting that there be two giant dragons waiting there for him.

"Holy Hera," Nico cussed. One of them looked green. Pale green, and it looked sick. Nico didn't take pity on it, as it's _species _ate his friend.

Cabins began opening as campers poured out to the armouries. Nico paid them no attention. He unsheathed his sword, and jumped out of the borders.

A dragon turned around, it's wing narrowly missing Nico by millimeters. It's mouth hinged open, and an awful odor leaked from it.

"They're huge!" He heard someone, Dawn probably, exclaim.

Nico held up his sword as it lunged for him. Nico charged at it's side, dancing out of the way of it's mouth as it released a fiery breath.

The heat pierced through Nico's sweater, making him want to take it off. Though he had no time for that as the dragon lunged again.

Nico jumped out of the way of it's jaws and jabbed his sword into it's mouth. It looked at Nico in the eyes, before turning to dust right before his eyes.

And sitting there, on the floor, covered in slime, was a girl.

Her clothes were a little too tight on her, and they had been worn down mercilessly. She looked skinny. Too skinny. Like she hadn't been eating properly.

Now, the dust stuck to her like glue as the slime made it stick.

Her hair was a mess, covering most of her. It reached the bottom of her hips and was unruly.

She looked strikingly familiar.

"Those were…" Cynthia trailed off, stepping out of the crowd of campers towards the girl's body.

"Those were her clothes, weren't they?" Nico asks her, looking at the girl intently. He took a few steps towards her.

Her previously tanned skin was pale and sickly.

Nico knelt beside her body as Chiron trotted up beside him.

"Is that?" He begins, pointing to the girl, "Camper's disperse!"

Some campers stayed behind, however. The cabin leaders, and her friends.

"Take her to the infirmary! Now! She needs to be tended to immediately," Nico ordered, wiping a layer of slime from her face contently.

He didn't know what to believe. He knew that she wasn't dead. But he didn't know if he was right.

As she was taken away gently, on a stretcher, Nico watched, still crouched on the floor.

Percy was running after the stretcher with Annabeth on his heels, helping the Apollo kids.

"Amazing things, Prophecies are," Chiron winked at Nico before trotting away.

He stared blankly at the ground, where Paisley was. There was a layer of slime, and a ring. The heirloom from her mother. One of her last gifts.

It was sheltered with a cloth that was layered in the sticky, clear substance. The horror movies Nico had watched told him that it was exoplasm.

Nico hesitantly picked it up as a scream pierced the air.

"She seemed to have an allergic reaction of some sort to the Nectar and Ambrosia. We're looking into it but at the moment the best we can do is to keep her hydrated and fed through the tubes," One of the Apollo kids tell Nico and Percy.

"Well, is she going to be okay?" Percy asks, hopping from foot to foot. "Can I go and see her? Is she awake? What else is wrong with her? Is the water healing her?"

"P-percy, p-please stop at-tacking the poor boy," A sickly voice croaked loudly. Nico pushed past the boy from Apollo, and ducked under the curtain.

Under a bundle of blankets, with somewhat of colour to her cheeks, was Paisley.

She had been cleaned, obviously. Her hair was untangled and cut to its usual length. Her eyes seemed dull however, but her mouth flashed a grin.

So she was given a shower, and a toothbrush obviously.

"Nico," She breathed, her eyes going wide. "Hi."

"I have a little more to say than, Hi," He says, his eyes flickering over her. He came closer tentatively, as if to see if she really was there.

"I know, I'm sorry. I couldn't contact you because I was inside a dragon. I tried and I tried but my knife was gone. I dropped it when the dragon took me," She stammered out like it was her fault.

"I want to say sorry," Nico sat on the edge of her bed and held out her glass for her. Her nimble fingers shook as she struggled to raise the glass to her lips. She was imperatively weak. He covered her fingers with his, and assisted her.

"Here," He says, as she takes a long gulp. She makes a sound in the back of her throat and Nico takes away the glass.

Her hands were cold. Nico brought her blanket further up her body and helped re-adjust her pillows so she could lay down comfortably.

"T-thanks," She stuttered, as he sat down in the chair next to her.

"I still can't believe you're here," Nico says to her, as she slipped her eyes shut.

"Well, neither can I. I thought I was going to die," She whispered quietly to him, "I was going to die."

A sob ran up her throat and before Nico knew it, he was hugging her tightly as she clutched his shirt.

"Shh," He hushed her, digging his face into her soft hair. The campers outside were going training, yet the cold was still there.

Another sob viciously ran through her, as Nico tugged her closer to him.

"I'm so happy that that Dragon came to camp," She said, resting her head on his shoulder as she calmed down.

A tear ran down Nico's cheek as he held his best friend. "Me too," Nico replied, kissing the top of her head instinctively.

She stiffened, but then relaxed.

"What happened to Cole?" Paisley asked, raising her head to look at Nico.

"No one told him," He said, "Cowardly, but no one, not even Clarisse had the guts."

She nodded, dropping her head again.

Her skin was warm, like usual. Which was a little weird seeing as she just came out of a dragon a few hours ago.

"Thank you," She said quietly to Nico. He could barely pick up on it.

Instead of replying, he just stroked her hair as she fell asleep.

**A/N**

**She's back bishes!**

**I only got an M+ on my English Assessment. And it irritates me because my teacher didn't tell me what I did wrong. All the feedback was good. Like, seriously? And I got the same for my maths test. I hate school. I did all the working out right, but they marked me wrong for the last sentence. My two friends got it right and they had different statements. I don't understand this crap. **

**Anyways... I just have to suck it up. **

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


	20. 20

_"__You can try on my clothes, but you can't fill these shoes." -All Time Low, Poison. _

"Nico, hey!" Paisley shouted as she walked out of the showering block towards the gloomy teenager.

His face almost immediately brightened up as he saw her on her feet. They had recently told Nico that she needed rest and only the Apollo medics could go in. Who knew what she had?

"Hey!" She walked up to him and gave him a hug to the Aphrodite's dismay. Yes, they were still a little after him even though the large majority of them shipped him and Paisley.

Nico would be lying if he said she wasn't warm and that she didn't smell nice, because she had her smell of apples and vanilla back, rather than hospital and detergent. He hated to be the one to pull away from the hug.

Her skin had a healthy glow back to it, and Nico was pleased.

"What are you going to do?" Paisley asked as she saw he was ready to go somewhere.

"Arena," Nico said, nodding towards the said place. He saw her face fall for a few seconds before she put on her brave face again. Nico could tell she was unpleased about something, but Paisley being herself would never tell him what was up in fear that he would worry about her.

"Oh," Paisley replied. "And I suppose afterwards you have another activity, don't you?"

"Nope," Nico grinned at her, making her smile back. "Did you want to do something?"

"Yeah, kinda," Paisley said, as she scuffed the ground with her boots. The same pair that she had left behind when she went on her quest.

"Well, I have time. And besides, Chiron won't be mad if I don't train. All I'm going up against is dummies, and they don't fight back," Nico saw her face light up like a Christmas tree.

"Cool! I have to drop my towel back off at the infirmary and check in to say that I have not been kidnapped. But meet me by the docks in ten and wear something warm," She said before zooming of towards the infirmary.

Nico smiled to himself, and walked back to his cabin to grab a jumper. He didn't know what she wanted to show him, and for all he knew she might push him into the lakes.

Tugging on a sweater, Nico did a small dance with his feet. His mood had increased dramatically since she came back and you would have to be blind not to see the change. His smile was more genuine and was brighter. It looked nice on him, but then again smiles are the most beautiful things people can put onto their faces.

As Nico came out of his cabin, he was again confronted by a pregnant Piper. She was doing a happy dance on the spot.

"I never pegged her to be the type of girl to make the first move," Piper said to Nico as he gae her a weird look. "My ship is getting together!" She giggled, before turning serious, "Don't mess this up, boy. I know kung-fu!"

"Okay, that's nice." Nico nudged past the girl who stood on her spot.

"I'm serious! I may be pregnant and slightly insane but I can kick butt!" She threatened emptily. Nico couldn't take her seriously like that. "But anyways, have fun! Don't let my sisters ruin it for you!"

And Nico knew that he wouldn't.

As Paisley approached the site where she was meeting her friend, her heart begun to pound. What if he had a girlfriend? Or had something else planned and was going to ditch her? Just the sight of the boy made her weak in the knees.

"Shut up, self. He would never do that," Paisley told herself off, slowly sitting at the edge of the water.

Her legs were sore from being cramped up in the dragon so long, and she was still recovering. Hell, it was going to take a while before she returned to complete normalcy, or her new normal.

Rubbing the sore, jean-covered muscle, Paisley looked out into the water.

It was so clear and beautiful, though she knew it would be icy if she were to 'accidentally' take a dip. No one would know, and it's not like she would get wet anyways.

"You look like you're about to eat the water," Someone chuckled from behind her. Nico sat right beside her, his leg pressed into hers. His eyes darted to where her small hands were massaging the aching flesh and he frowned. "Are you okay?"

Paisley scoffed, "You're really going to ask me that after I come out of the dragon I've been inhabiting for two years?" Her words were vicious, and as soon as they left her mouth she wished she could shove them back in. "Sorry, that was a little uncalled for."

"Don't apologise," Nico said softly. It felt weird for him, to be this gentle with someone. "What I should have said was, is your leg okay? What's up with it?"

"Just cramps," Paisley shrugged, turning to look at Nico fully, only to find him looking at her. She blushed and looked away.

There were a few minutes of comfortable silence, where they both slowly leaned towards each other, so their shoulders were touching.

"What was it like?" Nico asked her curiously. She sighed before replying.

"Dark. Slimy. For the first few hours when it didn't open it's mouth I couldn't breathe properly from lack of oxygen. I don't know where it stored me, but it wasn't filled with acid so I can safely assume it wasn't the stomach. It was warm I guess, but sometimes it got really cold." Paisley shrugged, stopping the massaging of her leg and drawing both her feet closer to her.

"I'm sorry," Nico said to her apologetically, wrapping one arm around her.

"Stop saying that. It wasn't your fault." Paisley stressed her words frustrated, turning back to him. Her eyes shone with anger. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I forgot to look behind me before I fought, so please shut up." She sounded on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey, hey." Nico softly cooed as she began to start up the waterworks. Her back was shaking and her face buried into his shoulder gently. His hand absently played with her hair, stroking it gently. "Shh."

She hiccupped, before throwing her feet over his lap and getting closer to him. Granted, after her mother had died they had been in a similar position, but it was still feeling foreign to Nico.

Paisley calmed down after a while, however they both still sat comfortably on the ground together. It was beginning to get cold, and Nico was certain that there was going to be a Capture The Flag game soon. But he didn't care much for that.

His friend was back and he was over the moon, metaphorically, and he couldn't care less.

"Sorry," Paisley said, muffling a yawn. "I'm probably making you lose all the feeling in your legs."

She slowly got up, and to Nico it looked like she was in pain and a lot of it. That alone made him jump to his feet and help her up, despite his pins and needles that caused havoc in his legs.

"Thanks," Paisley leaned forwards and up to kiss his cheek, causing it to redden. She giggled, before poking his cheek. "So cute."

"Hey!" Nico said to her. "I am not cute, okay? I'm intimidating and I could just leave you here if I wanted to!"

Paisley laughed along with him as they stopped temporarily, "No! Please don't leave me here!" She managed to let the words escape through her laughs as he began to lower her back to the ground.

"What's the magic words?" When they were younger, Nico and Paisley had created this magic code that was 'unbreakable' by the other. He held some sort of grudge against her for her one, but he knew that his wasn't much better.

It took her a minute to think, but she finally came around and said, "Nico is the coolest, best-est best friend in the world?"

"That one was yours," Nico deadpanned as they sank closer to the ground.

"Please make it count!" Paisley pleaded, her stomach hurting from the laughing.

"Fine, I guess I can be nice to you today. But only because you said please," Nico said, her smile catching on him like a beam of sunshine. He helped her back up, and supported her all the way back to the infirmary where she was being forced to stay for caution.

"Do you need any help with anything?" He asked her as she hobbled into bed, wearing an old sweatshirt of one of her brothers and sweatpants. "Drink of water, food?"

"I'm okay thanks," Paisley leaned forwards and tugged his hand so that he stood closer to her. "Duck down a second, would you? I struggle when I'm standing up and now I'm sitting down I'm at a larger disadvantage, you giant."

Nico stifled a laugh, sitting on the chair next to her bed. He noticed that there were books and her glasses by her bed, so he knew one of her friends had passed through.

"What?" He asked, as she made him shuffle forwards more. He was a little offended by the _giant _comment, but he knew that he had grown a significant amount since she saw him last, and he had definitely passed her, who had barely grown an inch.

"Did I hurt your feelings?" She said, pouting her lips teasingly. "Do I need to kiss it better?"

"Yeah," Nico fake sniffled, making her laugh and plant yet another kiss on his cheek.

"Look here you two," Someone from the Apollo cabin stuck their head in the curtains. "Shush. There are other people sleeping here." They abruptly shut the curtains and left the room.

"Okay, I gotta go, Pais." Nico said, standing up and almost falling over from the proximity.

"Thanks for keeping me company, Neeks." Paisley smiled brighter than the sun.

"Any time," And the smile was returned.

**The quote at the top has nothing to do with the chapter but who cares. **


	21. 21 Will The Cockblock

A/N Beware the feels.

"So what happened when I was gone?" Paisley asked as she grabbed her plate and shuffled closer to Nico's side in the pavilion.

They had finally let her out of the infirmary, making sure she went back every few days for check-ups.

"It was really boring," Nico said bluntly, staring at her as she tugged the sleeves of her sweater over her hands that were, no doubt, cold.

"It was two years, Nico. I'm sure something happened, other than how puberty obviously hit harder than a freight train. I mean look at your cheekbones!" Paisley raised a finger to poke his cheek. "And don't even get me started on the muscle you've acquired."

Nico blushed and looked down at his plate, pushing the food around a little, one of the baby carrots rolling off his plate.

"Well, sorry that I thought that my best friend was dead and I was moping for most of those two years." Nico didn't look her in the eyes while he said that.

He wouldn't admit it, but he was extremely flattered by what she had said.

"You're adorable, really," Paisley giggled, nudging his arm with her shoulder. "That's cute. So there wasn't any girlfriends?"

Nico's jaw dropped at what she was asking. She was very... blunt.

"Yeah, you're not fooling me, Neeks, I see the way that most of the girls at the Aphrodite table are looking at you. You're hot and I'm not ashamed to admit that my best friend is hot." Paisley smirked at Nico.

_And I wish I had the courage to tell you that you are beautiful, _Nico thought as he gazed at Paisley. Her hair was swept into a loose French plait.

"No girlfriends, I said no to them all," Nico shrugged, as if none of them mattered to him, which none of them did. The only girl that mattered to him at the moment, was the girl sitting next to him, and of course, she had no clue.

"What?" Paisley's eyes widened. Nico swore he almost heard her say, "What I would do..."

Deciding to have his fun, Nico replied with, "What would you do?"

"Fuck! You heard that!" Paisley blushed, very embarrassed.

"Yeah," Nico laughed. "I did. You've made me very curious, Paisley. What would you do?"

"Gods! Stop flirting, you two. You make me want to puke my pizza back up, and I love pizza!" Percy yelled at them, making them both blush furiously. "Just kiss and get it over with!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Perseus," Paisley mumbled, poking her fruit around her plate.

"Oh you know what I'm talking about, Paisley! Didn't you just say to me-"

"Percy, shut up," Paisley said through gritted teeth.

"- That you were in –" Paisley got up, her seat screeching behind her knees. She grabbed Percy's ear before dragging him from the pavilion, saying "Ow, ow, ow, ow."

Annabeth leans back in her seat so Nico could hear her, "She's totally crushing on you. Just grow some balls and ask her out already!"

Nico found Paisley in the infirmary.

She was fidgeting with the blankets on the bed, and squirming around a little.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Nico said, leaning against the doorframe in exhaustion. Seeing her tired face, he stopped and came into the room properly. "What's wrong? Why are you in here?"

"I threw up all of my breakfast. And lunch," She said, ashamed. "I was doing so well, too! And I just had to go and fuck it up! Like everything else! I fucked this up, too! And now I'm unintentionally hassling the Apollo cabin because I can't have Nectar and Ambrosia! What kind of Demigod am I? I got eaten by a dragon!"

Nico took a step back, just as she began to cry.

Not just small cry. But loud, sobbing, messy cry. She curled herself up into a ball, her knees drawn to her chest and her hands running through her hair as she rested her head on her knees.

Nico began to panic, not knowing what to do. He didn't want to call for help, as that would be slightly insensitive. She was his best friend, there had to be something he could do.

Slowly approaching her, Nico sat behind her and patted her back awkwardly. "There there," He muttered, very uncomfortable. Crying, obviously, made him feel uncomfortable.

Her crying got louder, and her sobs moved her body. He could hear her angrily saying things to herself, but he couldn't make out what it was.

Being fed up with his cowardice, Nico boldly pulled her by the waist to sit across his lap and tightly hugged her so her head was in the crook of his neck.

She struggled for a little, before finally calming down.

Her hot tears made their way down his neck and he could feel his shirt getting wet, but Nico didn't care. She was furious at herself, and there was something wrong with his best friend. A wet shirt was the least of his problems.

As she stopped crying gradually, Paisley hugged him back so she was straddling his legs and was still burying her face in the crook of his neck but was able to drape her arms over his shoulders. She sniffled every now and then, but Nico was proud of himself.

He had stopped her Panic Attack.

"I'm sorry, you probably hate me right now," Paisley murmured into his jumper, her mouth closer to his neck than he thought. She started moving back, but Nico moved his arms so one was around her waist and the other was around her shoulders.

"I don't hate you," Nico assured her, his fingers winding through her hair and keeping her in place. "How can I hate you if I love you?"

(A/N Sophie, I'm probably killing you right now)

Paisley froze, and Nico cursed himself out.

"You what?" Paisley said, very confused. She dug her face into his neck tighter.

"Love you. And not like a friend. Percy was hinting at it this morning and I was just scared and I can't believe you made the first move last night like what kind of man am I?" Nico shakes his head before dropping it on her shoulder.

Paisley pulled her head away from his neck. Nico kept his head down, too scared to look up. What if she rejected him? Or worse, what if she didn't reply at all?

Resting her hands on his cheeks, Paisley pulled his head up to look at her.

Tears streaked her cheeks, and her eyes were puffy and red. It pained him to see her like this, to see her this ruined and tattered. Her eyes, however, her eyes were still green. The same bright, curious green they always were.

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his, still holding his cheeks.

He had no idea what she was doing, but he liked the close proximity.

Her nose scrunched up slightly as she sniffled. She was adorable, and if it were possible, Nico fell more in love with her.

Though the worst was happening and she wasn't replying.

Unwinding one arm from around her, Nico grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and held it to her nose. She blew her nose, taking the tissue from him and threw it in the bin across the room.

"I love you so fuckign much that it hurts me," Paisley whispered before kissing him.

Her lips moved against his, her hands sliding to hold the back of Nico's head. Nico didn't respond at first, through all the shock, but after a few seconds he did. His hands went around her waist, and one of his hands went through her hair, too.

Her arms were warm, and they just made Nico want to stay there in that position forever, but he knew that they needed to stop or else someone might walk in on something a little compromising.

_Oh, to hell with it,_ Nico thought. _For all I know, this could be the last time I kiss her._

Nico held her tighter, and leaned into the kiss slightly as she dropped her hands and let them go to his back, where she pulled herself closer, yet again. Nico didn't mind. Gods, Nico would never mind.

"Woah..." Someone says from the door, making Nico pull away from her lips and groan. He knew this would happen.

"Sorry," Paisley said, shyly, as Nico kept his head in her neck, letting the smell of freshly baked apple cobbler waft into his nose. Paisley smelt ridiculously good.

"All good, just close the door and hang the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on it, because that was not a pretty sight!" Will groaned.

"I am very pretty, thank you very much." Paisley sassed, as Nico kissed her shoulder, where Will couldn't see.

"Well, no one's denying that, I'm just saying that it might be a nice idea to shut the door," Will says before shutting the door.

"Thank gods he's gone," Nico leans in to kiss her again, but the movement was blocked by Paisley's hand.

"We should probably get up, go outside, you know..." Paisley says, trying to get up.

Nico groans and his grip tightens on her. "One more, please?" He widens his eyes and pouts.

Paisley huffed and leaned in for _one _more, however Nico held her down, mumbling "No," Under his breath every time she went to pull away. "That's not one, that's like zero point one two of a kiss."

"As much as I love you, we should probably go." Paisley pecked his lips, and got up just as his arms loosened.

Nico flopped back onto the bed lazily, and eyed her as she moved towards the door. He would never get tired of her.

Her hair was half out of her plait from how much his hands moved through her hair. Her hairtie was on the floor. Her shirt was misplaced, and her bra strap was showing from the misplacement of her sweater. Clinging to her legs perfectly, were a pair of skinny jeans and attached to her feet were combat boots, that she no doubt borrowed from Piper.

She was so beautiful, Nico stared at her as she turned to face him.

"Are you coming?" Paisley asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"Maybe if Will hadn't shown up," Nico muttered. "Paisley, I'm bruised! I neeeeeed your help!"

"Wait what?" Paisley asked, shutting the door again.

"I'm bruised and the only cure is you?" Nico raised an eyebrow at her.

"No, before that,' Paisley sat next to him.

"That, my dear girlfriend, is all up to interpretation."

"Girlfriend?" Paisley happily questioned.

"Well, I just assumed that because you said you loved me too that maybe..." Was all Nico was allowed to say before he was kissing his girlfriend. Gods, he loved saying that and it had only just been confirmed.

"It's fine. I can deal with being called your girlfriend," Paisley smiled against his lips before continuing. "But can we actually go outside though? This hospital is giving me a headache."

A/N

Okay, Larry inspired me to do this and Kiera helped me write it partially (made sure that Sky was not over the top and bat shit crazy) and sat through me asking her constantly if it were okay.

Tell me what you think, because as much as I like reading fluff like that, I kinda suck at writing it.

~KaleidoscopeColours

Dedicated to Sophie, for also shipping Paico and fangirling with me.


	22. 22 The New Quest

It looked like everyone knew before they knew themselves. People were smirking at them, and they were pointing to them. Some people were even awing at them.

Paisley found it weird, as she wasn't used to such affection. Nico wasn't an affectionate person, but there he was giving her the best and biggest bear hug in the world, in the middle of the camp.

When she went to a campfire, he brought a blanket and they would throw it over both of their shoulders and if she was still cold he would wrap her in a warm hug and warm up her hands.

When she woke up and went to training, he was there helping her get fitter and faster than she was before.

It made her feel loved and wanted.

She felt warm and whole.

All too soon, she was being pulled back to the big house, and was being asked to resume her quest and that it was exceedingly dangerous for her if she put it off any longer.

"All due respect, Chiron, but she was legitimately eaten by a dragon last time she left camp borders," Nico points out to him, not wanting his girlfriend to be gone again.

He was worried. What if she got eaten again? What then? And if he couldn't cut her out? Tragic.

He didn't want to put himself through the torture of even thinking about it.

Paisley sat in the chair next to him, holding her hands tightly together. Nico wanted to take one of them and massage the tension from it.

"When do I leave?" Paisley asked Chiron, surprising Nico. He stuttered a little before turning to her and exclaiming,

"What?"

"When do I leave? Maybe I can expand the crew and plan it out a little better. I had a dream last night and I think I know where we need to go," Paisley didn't tell Nico any of it as she knew that it would worry him.

Chiron nodded for a second. "Mr. Di Angelo, as I understand it you two are in an intimate relationship and that you're worried about her, but I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the room for a minute while I talk to Paisley."

Nico huffed, and stood with his chair sliding back underneath his knees.

He grumbled, and stormed from the room, leaving behind a crack in the door as he slammed it.

When Paisley came out, Nico was waiting for her on the steps outside. He was watching the volleyball game going on between the Hermes Cabin and the Apollo Cabin (Apollo was winning).

Paisley sat on the step behind him and wrapped a tanned arm around his shoulders from where she sat. He leaned back on her crossed legs and held her arm.

"How did it go?" Nico tried to hold back the bitterness, but it came through.

"Great," She replied with as much haste. "I leave tomorrow afternoon and I'm taking Harper, Cynthia, Aura and you if you'd like to come."

Nico looked back at her like she was insane. "You can't leave that early! You need to train more!"

Paisley looked at him, utterly baffled. "Are you trying to tell me that I can't fend for myself well enough yet? Because our sparring in the last week can tell you otherwise."

"I let you win," Nico said, coldness seeping through the undertone of his voice as he pulled away from her a little.

The volleyball game kept going on in the background.

Paisley was never going to tell him, but that hurt.

"Yeah right, sure you did." She rolled her magnificent eyes in irritation. "I won two out of five, meaning you won the other three. But that was only because you had done more training than me! You've had years of it and I've only had months."

Before Nico could stop the words, they came rolling out. "Well if you weren't so pathetic and you'd gotten over your Mum faster, you could have had more training. And if you hadn't, you know, _been eaten by a dragon, _you could be good. But you're horrible and you're a sorry excuse of a demigod!"

Paisley sucked in a breath angrily, as painful tears bordered her waterline. She stood up, purposely standing on his fingers as she did so, twisted her heel, and stormed off to her cabin where she later cried.

He was right, she thought as she sat on her bed in misery.

Paisley POV

I was staring at a wall when Percy found me. His hand was midway through running through his hair when he caught sight of me in the mess I was in.

"What's up?" He asked, leisurely lying across my bed, caging me next to him with one arm.

"Nothing," I tried to bullshit to no avail. Nico's words had hit harder than a bullet.

"It's not nothing, Paisley. I'm stupid, but not that stupid," Percy told me bluntly, giving me a look.

"Just Nico said some things that really hurt my feelings is all," I mumbled, looking down at my hands.

Percy sat up stiffly. "Do you want me to go and beat him up? I'm gonna go and beat him up."

My hands quickly darted out to latch onto his bicep and tug him back down.

"No! Don't do that!" I said as he fell back onto my bed.

Silence came over us like a blanket.

"Paisley, I'm new to the whole 'little sister' thing, but I promise I'm going to try, okay?" Percy looked me dead in the eyes and promised. "I just need a little help, is all."

"You're doing fine," I tell him. "Better than my other brothers, I can tell you. They hated me so much."

They did. Half of them hated me. Harry, Liam and Peter. They told me horrible things, saying I was a four eyed freak, and that I was a mistake.

It took me a while to start believing that I wasn't. A while and a half.

Cole, Tane and Cody weren't mean to me. Tane wasn't nice, but he wasn't mean either. Cody was more like my best friend than brother, and Cole was more like a Dad to me.

Percy slumped back on my bed, using my hand to cover his eyes.

"You're sixteen, yes?" Percy asks all of a sudden, yanking my hand away and sitting bolt upright.

There was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Yes?"

"Let's go do something I did when I was sixteen."


	23. 23 I Am Growing Up

watch?v=6mhtJduoCZ0 (listen to while listening)

_"__Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." – Unknown_

_"__I'll be patient, one more month  
You'll wrap your fingers round my thumb  
Times are changing, I know, but who am I if  
I'm the person you become  
If I'm still growing up" Growing Up (Sloane's Song), Macklemore and Ryan Lewis._

"Really, Percy?" Paisley hissed, lifting up her knife _ρεύμα (_stream in Greek).

"Really," Percy nodded, pointing to the immobile dummy hanging off a rope. "Hit it as hard as you can with the knife."

Paisley looked at him strangely, making him sigh and nod towards the straw-stuffed figure.

She steadied her stance, took a deep breath and lunged at the dummy. The knife jabbed into it's stomach.

"You're too close. You don't have any defence," Percy critiqued. "Your movement was too slow. Try it again, harder and faster. Monsters aren't going to wait for you."

Paisley sighed, and stood back again, ready to pounce. She stabbed the dummy quickly, before darting back again.

"This isn't a boxing arena, you want to kill it, not pet it," Percy reached for the dagger. "May I?"

Paisley handed over the handle of the knife and stood to the side, watching carefully at Percy's actions.

Percy moved like water, his body flowing swiftly to the dummy, dragging the blade upwards through the stomach, making the hay fall out, and before she could blink, Paisley saw Percy standing back again, watching the straw fall to the floor.

"Your turn again," Percy handed over the knife, this time standing behind her to correct her position. "If the war is declared, you're most likely going to have armour and won't have to worry about a majority of your body. However the weapons now are more advanced, so you can't always depend on it. With the dagger, you're going to have to get close to your opponent. It will feel dangerous, and you will get scared. But you have to remember, kill or be killed."

Percy guided her hand to show her a few techniques.

"Try the first one on your own, slowly," He paced his talking like he was speaking to a young child, which in some ways she was. She was less skilled than most of the younger kids at the camp.

Paisley moved slowly and carried out the movement.

"Now try it quicker," Percy demanded, examining her movement.

Paisley did it faster.

"You're getting the hang of this," Percy grinned proudly. "We need to go back before we get attacked by harpies."

In the morning, Paisley woke up sore all over. Her arms were sore from working hard and her legs from having to dart back and forth as quick as lightning.

"Ugh," She unattractively groaned, rolling over as the sun glinted into her eyes.

Percy chuckled from where he was putting on his shoes, watching as she sat up unhappily.

"For once I'm up before you!" Percy said, as if it was an accomplishment.

"Shh," Paisley hissed, throwing her covers off and plonking her feet on the floor. Her hair was so tangled, she looked like Mufasa from The Lion King.

"You should be getting ready, we need to go to breakfast," Percy told her, opening her chest and throwing some of her clothes at her. "Really?" He made a face and dangled her bra off a finger.

"I'm surprised that that's still surprising to you," Paisley said, grabbing a shirt and some shorts from the pile and running into the makeshift change area.

After changing, Paisley ran after Percy who was heading towards the dining pavilion. Naturally, she jumped on his back when she caught up.

"Oof!" Percy groaned underneath the new weight, before straightening up and piggy backing her the rest of the way.

Dropping her by the front, Percy ran over to where Annabeth was waiting.

Paisley huffed, and grumbled underneath her breath. "Ditch me, why don't you?" She said, following after him like a lost puppy.

Nico looked at her from his table, filled with regret. He didn't mean to hurt her feelings (_I wrote feels, omg. Great English Sky. Just fabulous) _but he also didn't want her going back on the quest. He knew how dangerous it would be to finish it, but knew it was even more dangerous to leave it uncompleted.

She took no notice of Nico, however, and sat down at her table like nothing was the matter. And for once, all her issues were pushed into the back of her mind.

Paisley was hitting the dummy like nobody's business, when Nico went down to the training arena after dinner. Sweat was dripping down the sides of her face and her hair was sticking. Her cheeks were red and she was huffing and puffing.

If Nico were to be completely honest, he didn't find it unattractive. On the other hand, he didn't think she knew much about marital arts or hitting dummies or was capable of violence, but there she was.

So maybe he said some stuff, and maybe it all came out wrong and though he was thinking it, he didn't mean to say it.

She looked kick-ass, hacking at the dummy. Straw was falling to the floor with every strike, elbow, knee, foot and dagger. She looked like lethal had taken human form.

Before Nico could find himself, he blinked and she was gone from the Arena.

Paisley didn't want to stay in the Arena.

Her heart rate was getting alarmingly high and her breath was too fast. Her head hurt, and her arm was cramping. It felt like the walls were shrinking even before Nico showed.

Crashing into her cabin, Paisley almost threw herself back out at the sound.

Percy was singing in the shower. And it wasn't pleasant.

Hence why Paisley preferred to use the ones in the shower block. Percy's hair gels and deodorant cluttered the sink and it smelt like boy. The only time she would go into the bathroom in the cabin was when she needed to go in the middle of the night.

"Shut up, Percy!" Paisley snapped, sitting on her bed and running her hands through her hair, as sweaty as it was.

"Hey!" He yelped in surprise, obviously not hearing her come in. "When did your panties get in a twist?"

Paisley heard the shower go off and she closed her eyes, the aching behind them growing intense.

"I honestly don't know," She told him as he strutted from the bathroom in sweatpants, towel drying his hair. "I was training after Dinner and then Nico showed up and I couldn't concentrate and so I left and my head hurts really badly right now and I really want to sleep."

She looked up at Percy, as he looked down at her from where he stood hopelessly.

"Go take a shower and come back, then tell me how you feel and depending on what you feel, we can got to Will and see if he's got anything to help, or any answers as to why you're feeling crappy. I'm gonna sound like my mum when I say this but drink some water as well while you're out," Percy leaned forwards, tossing her the towel and taking her pyjamas and toiletry bag from the end of her bed. Shoving them into her arms, Percy helped her stand.

"Here," Percy slipped her glasses onto her face, a little off-centre, right before she went out the door. "It might be straining your eyes."

Paisley could tell how much Percy was trying for her. She knew it wasn't easy for him, considering the circumstances but she appreciated his care.

Kissing his cheek quick, Paisley left the cabin trying not to think.

"We've just run out of asprin, and we can't give you nectar or ambrosia until we figure out why you reacted like that last time. I wouldn't say it was dehydration, as it's pretty hard for you not to drink water seeing as you're Poseidon's daughter. It could be your eyes, sure, but just to make sure there's been no side-effects from the medication we've been giving you-" Will rambled, before Percy cut him off.

"Medication?" He asked, standing next to his sister protectively.

"Yeah, medication for your Anxiety and Depression. Have you been taking it?"

"No," Paisley sighed. "It makes me feel weird."

"Well, stay in the infirmary tonight and see how you feel in the morning. If you're still feeling under the weather, I could find something for you. If you feel better it was probably just fatigue. I'll see what I can do about the depression pills you'd been prescribed," Will patted her head as he stood from his chair. "It's probably just stress. The Nike cabin does Yoga occasionally in the mornings."

"Thanks Will," Percy told his friend. "Really."

"Anything for a friend," Will smiled and left the room.

"Well," Percy said, turning to his sister. "This sucks, doesn't it?"

"Kinda," Paisley replied, as Percy sat on the bed next to her, wrapping an arm around her mindfully.

"You get some rest then, I'll be back in the morning," Before Percy could even think of standing, Paisley gripped his hand and asked him to stay.

Percy smiled down at her, feeling proud of himself for once in what felt like a long time.

"Okay," He stroked her cheek as she buried herself underneath the covers.

She closed her light eyelids, as Percy began to hum.

"They say boys don't cry, but your Dad has shed a lot of tears. They say I should be a strong man, but baby I'm still filled with fear," Percy sang gently.

As Paisley fell asleep, Percy caught a ghost of a smile on her lips.

**A/N**

**Wow that took ages to write. **

**I tried hard to make this as realistic as I could, and though this may look like a filler chapter (whoops) I feel like I need to build on Percy and Paisley's relationship a little more for it to match the one in Battle Of Bands, hence why they had a whole bunch of bonding. **

**To be honest, I don't know why I feel compelled to share my views and opinions with people on the internet rather than my friends, but here I go...  
I feel really jealous of Percy and Paisley's relationship, because I want mine to be like this with my older brother. My brother and my relationship is great, I mean my brother is the greatest catch anyone his age could get. He got my Nana to take him to the other side of Auckland to get his ex-girlfriend a birthday present. I don't think it gets much better. We don't talk much though, and I wish we did. I wish that it didn't take our parents arguing and him winding up on the roof in the middle of the night, or one of us crying in the bathroom when everyone was asleep to realise how much we needed each other and for our relationship to strengthen. **

**What I'm trying to say is make the most of your siblings, because you're never ever going to get one like them. Believe me, I have three (siblings that is)**

**On a lighter note, **

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**If you don't celebrate Christmas, Happy Random Friday!**

**I ate a egg and cheese toastie and the egg wasn't cooked and I feel sick. I've felt weird for months. I get headaches every day... And it feels terrible. **

**For the last time this year, **

**~KaleidoscopeColours**


End file.
